The Aegis' Edge
by LeftherianSalvager
Summary: *SPOILER ALERT: Endgame* After the events of the main game, Rex and some friends settle back in Fonsett. Rex and Mythra finally have an argument over Mythra's snarky remarks in battle, leaving Pyra in an awkward scenario. Will this affect their relationship as Driver and Blade? What about Rex's relationship with Nia, who has admitted to having feelings for Rex?
1. The Aegis' Edge

***Warning: Spoilers from the endgame are present as this story takes place postgame***

I **had intended this to be part of a bigger series but I figured since this was in my head, I should write it down. I may do a second chapter if it feels right.**

"Finally, you got something right! Maybe we'll make it out of this alive after all!" Mythra retorted again, arms folded while she watched Rex lay the finishing blows to a Territorial Rotbart.

"Could you maybe cut it out with these retorts? You know, I've dealt with them for a long time but it's getting a bit old!" Rex shouted back.

"Nah, I don't think I can. We'd all be dead by now if I was just a nice Blade."

"Pyra doesn't do that and we haven't died!"

"Of course! You always liked her more that me! So you'd rather I just go away?" Mythra and Rex were practically nose to nose now. They glared at each other.

"Rex...Mythra... stop it, please!" Pyra said, trying to pull the two apart. She tugged at Rex's arm to try to drag him away, but Rex appeared determined to get in the last word.

"No, that's not what I meant. I just think you should be a little more supportive."

"Like Pyra? Isn't that why you chose her over me back in the Land of Morytha?"

Pyra glared at Mythra. "Mythra! He chose both of us, it was just a name he wanted to call us!" she scolded.

"No, um… well yes, kinda…" Rex stared at the ground as he said it, twiddling his thumbs slightly. He felt that both Pyra and Mythra were part of the family. He just wanted Mythra to be a little more encouraging. But of course, she's been around for quite a while after all and set in her ways. He winced as Mythra opened her mouth as if knowing what she was going to say next. Perhaps, even a slight fear that Mythra would threaten to leave. Mythra walked up to Rex and smacked him in the face.

"Hmph, you can have her, what do you need me for then?"

"Y-you're part of the family too. Even though you might be a little difficult to me, I don't want you to just leave. Look, I'm sorry I made a big deal of this."

"Guys, stop it!" Pyra pleaded. "This isn't going to get either of you anywhere!"

"You're right Pyra. I should just go, Rex doesn't even want me in battle."

"I never said that! Where are you going?"

"Somewhere where you no longer need to hear me scream at you in battle."

"Wh-wh-wh-what? No, Mythra!"

"Mythra! This is madness! You can't leave. You're my sister! Did you ever think how much this would hurt me?" Pyra exclaimed.

"You have Rex, Nia, and Dromarch, and the rest of the others."

"None of those are you!"

Mythra sighed. "You know, I think I need a break."

"A break?"

"Just leave me alone for a little while!" Mythra snapped. Without making eye contact with Pyra, she ran off.

"Mythra! Mythraaaa!" Rex shouted after her.

"Rex...I think we should give her some time. Don't worry about her. We're here in Leftheria so she won't go far. She's not gone for good," Pyra said.

"I-I didn't..." Rex tried to fight back tears.

Pyra reached out and pulled Rex into her warm embrace, resting his head against her shoulder.

"Shhhh...Rex. It's okay. Just calm down. You're not wrong. She's just not very good at expressing her thoughts in a tactful way. That doesn't mean she doesn't care about you. Let's head back to Aunt Corinne's."

"Will she be okay without us?"

"She will be fine, I doubt she's going to wander into dangerous territory." Pyra held out her hand.

"Come on, Rex, let's go."

Rex took Pyra's hand and the two walked back to Fonsett.

Nia saw them and immediately seized the opportunity to make fun of them.

"Ohhhhh...Rex. We're holding hands today. You loooove Pyra!" Nia teased as she spotted the pair.

"My lady. I don't think that's what Rex wants to hear," Dromarch remarked.

"I told you many times that it's not like that."

"Uh-huh. Hmm...where's Mythra?"

Rex stared at the ground and mumbled something.

"I can't hear what you said."

Rex looked at Pyra and Pyra nodded.

"She's taking a break. She'll be back sometime soon."

"Oh, an argument?! Like a married couple?"

"Nia! Stop that!" Pyra scolded.

"Fiiine. I'll race you back to Fonsett!"

"Hmm, but you have Dromarch who can run really fast. That's cheating," Rex noted.

"My lady, don't you think we should take it slow this time?"

"Fiiine Dromarch. Let's just go."

"Come on Rex," Pyra said as Rex hesitated a little. "I told you Mythra will be fine. Where's the optimistic Rex I know?"

Rex sighed deeply. "Let's go," he said finally.

The group arrived back at Corinne's house as the sun was setting.

"Oh, you're all back. I was worried I was going have to send Azurda to look for you all."

"Oh Aunt Corinne, you are too kind," Pyra said, blushing slightly.

"But where's Mythra?"

"She wanted to go take a break. She'll be back." Pyra turned to make sure Rex wasn't near the kitchen and lowered her voice to a whisper.

"She had a fight with Rex. I don't think she's gone, but I do feel worried since she can be rather stubborn."

"Hmmm... I don't think she will just leave Red though. Though you two are different, you are the same deep down and you both care for Rex equally. I wouldn't take it to heart. Now personally I think you are the one for Rex."

"Oh Auntie Corinne, it's not like that really."

"You needn't tell me that, but you know Rex can be reckless and stubborn. So he's going to need someone to make sure he doesn't end up in trouble."

"I'll make sure that happens. I think I may go look for Mythra once everyone is asleep. We came from the same core crystal so I can sense her whereabouts. Please don't tell Rex. He will want to come and I'm not sure if Mythra is ready to see him."

"You have my word."

* * *

Whether it was coincidence or fate. Mythra found herself wandering over to Azurda, who was once again a big Titan.

"Hello, Mythra. I can see you aren't with Rex or Pyra. Did something happen?"

"Oh, Gramps. Hello. I would be lying if I said no."

"What happened?"

"He got pretty upset at me during a battle today. I think my snark got to him."

"Well, to be honest, you do have a rather sharp tongue."

"You think I don't know that? I'm upset at myself for not being able to control that. And I'm not the type of person that admits I'm wrong to anybody."

"Mmhmm... I would agree. But I still think you're also very protective of Rex. You do offer to protect him from the scary dark."

Mythra folded her arms and looked visibly annoyed.

"This isn't a joke, Gramps."

"Oh, I know. Yet the point is clear. You want to protect Rex and you have feelings for him."

"I-I do not! Hmm okay, I do care about him. I'm just lousy at showing it. I can't cook, I can't encourage him, all I can lend him is my strength." Mythra's face had turned bright red as she blushed.

"Tell me, Mythra. Why do you care about Rex? It's not just because you are his Blade."

"I care about him because he would do the same for everybody. That's why he was able to take down Malos. And he really reminds me of Addam."

"Right. Rex cares about you too and sure, he may not always put up with your personality. That's a far cry from wanting you to leave. Remember, he broke down and wept as you destroyed that bridge. Nobody thought you would come back for him."

"I didn't say I was going to leave! Yes, I remember that moment. I almost cried too. But I didn't because I didn't want Rex to continue to be attached to Pyra and me. I had no idea I would return."

"Mythra, I couldn't help but listen to that exchange between you and Rex. I apologize for the eavesdropping. You did try to put words in his mouth that he wanted you gone."

"Fiiine, I did threaten him. I guess I should go apologize to him. Not right now, I need to think about what I'm going to say. I suck at these things."

"Take your time, but don't take too long. Rex is probably feeling pretty awful and thinking this is his fault. That's who he is. He never really likes to blame anyone."

"Yes, Gramps. But do you mind if I spend the night here? I don't want to make it an awkward encounter with Rex."

"Make yourself comfortable."

* * *

"Mmmm, delicious!" Nia exclaimed as she stuffed her face full of food. Pyra made a hearty meal of Roast Meat Tagliata and Hot Moonbeam Salad. For dessert, she had made Addam's Supercakes.

"My lady! You should probably eat more slowly."

"It's so tasty."

Pyra watched as Rex pushed his salad around on a plate.

"Come on Rex, eat your veggies."

Pyra folded her arms.

"Do you not like my salad? You usually eat a lot of it. You can be honest with me you know. I messed up this time didn't I?"

"Pyra, it tastes great! I think Rex is just thinking about something else," Corinne said.

"Sorry, Pyra. I uhh yeah, it's great." Rex started eating quickly, taking large bites.

"Slow down Rex! Hey, are you still thinking about Mythra? Come on Rex, she's going to be fine."

"Yes, you're going to choke if you eat that fast," Corinne advised. "Listen to Pyra."

Rex felt a sense of shock run up his spine. Although Pyra was normally more passive, occasionally she would be rather forceful and assertive, usually to the surprise of everyone but especially Rex. Rex ate normally, wanting to avoid further confrontation with Pyra.

Deep down, Pyra's heart sank. She wasn't sure about Mythra either but she didn't want Rex to know. She tried her best to keep a smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Nia appeared completely oblivious to what was going on and just kept on eating. Pyra found comfort in this. Although the group had accepted her early on, she was overjoyed that she was able to make them happy with her cooking.

"When should we look for-"

"Rex..." Pyra glared at him and then grabbed him by the shoulder. "I know what you are going to say despite Mythra being the one with Foresight. Trust me, she's fine. I can sense her presence on this island. Please give her some time and space. A girl needs that sometimes."

"Huh?"

"Oh, Rex is such a child sometimes, acting like the world has ended if he doesn't see either of you for a few seconds. So clingy Rex!"

"My lady, I think you've teased Rex enough. Sometimes a man needs time and space too," Dromarch commented.

"Oh come on Dromarch, isn't he like a child right now?"

"I'm sorry my lady. I am not very familiar with how humans are supposed to act after a certain age."

Corinne tried to stifle her laughter but she eventually failed.

"Hehehe, it's not every day someone gives Rex a hard time. Except for that one time..."

"Oh come on Auntie, please don't," Rex pleaded.

"Alright, I save the story for another time."

"How about never? Anyways, I should get to sleep, I'm tired and it's been a long day."

"Rex it's only..." Pyra began before Corinne gestured slightly, causing her to think about it some more. Perhaps sleeping off his thoughts would be better for him. It would certainly allow her to check on Mythra. "Actually, I think that's a good idea. You look exhausted."

"That's certainly a good idea Rex," Corinne echoed.

As Rex crashed into bed, Pyra stood at the doorway, waiting for him to fall asleep. Nia noticed and walked over to her.

"What are you plotting? You're up to something. I know it," Nia whispered.

"I want to go talk to Mythra myself. I don't want Rex there."

"Ooo, a secret meeting? What are you going to tell her?"

"Nothing secret, I just want her to know that nobody wants her to leave and that she's being stubborn and childish. We ought to bring her some food though."

"Ouch, Pyra. Are you okay? This doesn't sound like you at all?"

"I'm less timid when I speak to my sister."

"Okay, what if she takes it the wrong way?"

"She won't, she's got a thick skin."

"Okay, if you say so. Do me a favor though, please don't ruin this for Rex."

"Nia, you know I would never intend to do anything that would hurt Rex."

"Right, except not telling him that in the end, he may never see you again."

Pyra's lips quivered as she heard Nia's words. Intentional or not, Nia had opened a wound that never fully healed. Pyra decided not to tell Rex until the very end, even though Mythra was convinced it had to be done. She had convinced Mythra to keep things quiet. Now she clearly felt that was a mistake. Through gritted teeth, she responded.

"Nia, could you please avoid bringing that up ever again? I might actually burn you with my fire."

"Whoa, I never saw you as the threatening type. My mistake," Nia said, backing away from Pyra.

"I promise I will fix this so that Rex can be happy again. Really that's all I want now."

"I'm coming with you, Pyra. Rex is my friend too and perhaps we can both convince Mythra to come back."

"What if Rex wakes up and sees us both gone?"

"Oh, come on, he sleeps like a baby. He won't wake up. It'll be fine."

"Okay, are you going to bring Dromarch?"

"Probably, I hate walking."

"My lady? Are you going somewhere? Shall I accompany you?"

"Yes, Dromarch. We are going to find Mythra."

A loud clap of thunder awoke Mythra. Moments later, the heavens opened up with a deluge.

"Curses! The one night I choose to sleep out here…" Mythra shouted angrily.

"Rex used to live on my back. Unfortunately, the shack was destroyed when we crash-landed in Gormott. I suppose you could hide under my wing until this storm passes," Azurda suggested.

"Thanks, Gramps," Mythra muttered.

"You could also go to Aunt Corinne's and sleep in an actual bed. Perhaps it's fate that it would rain today."

"I don't know about that Gramps, I think it just rains in Leftheria pretty often."

"Well, suit yourself."

A strong gust of wind nearly swept Mythra off her feet and she ended up grabbing onto Azurda's wing.

"Do you mind not gripping my wing so tightly?" Azurda said, clearly grimacing.

"Oh, I'm sorry Gramps, the wind…wait there's something in those trees…"

A large Crustip emerged from nearby trees, clearly looking for a fight. It immediately noticed Mythra's glow and marched towards her.

"Arghhh! Go away you ugly thing!" Mythra shouted.

The Crustip showed no signs of relenting, inching closer to Mythra. Azurda attempted to scare it away by flapping his wings and roaring, which further enraged the Crustip. Mythra began casting Photon in order to try and stun the Crustip. That did little to deter the creature as it continued to advance toward Mythra. Even Azurda's "Dino Mortar" did little to faze it due to the rain neutralizing most of the attack.

* * *

"Be careful out there, it looks like a storm is brewing," Corinne advised.

"Pyra, doesn't water weaken your abilities?" Nia asked.

"I'll be fine."

"I think my water mastery should be able to keep us mostly dry, my lady."

"Oh Dromarch, I wanted to see Pyra handle the rain."

"My lady?"

"Think of it as a prank."

"Your friendships are strange."

"Don't think too hard about them Dromarch. I don't want you to shed all your fur."

The three went out into the rain, Dromarch providing a bubble of protection from the elements. Pyra was then able to light the way with her fire.

"Which way, Pyra?"

"I sense Mythra nearby. Probably where Azurda is resting."

"What? So she literally was hiding in plain sight?!"

"…Yes, you know she wouldn't actually leave Rex."

"At least pick a better hiding spot!"

They were interrupted by a loud scream.

"It sounds like she's in trouble. Let's go!"

The three quickly ran over to Azurda's location and found Mythra being cornered.

"RAGING TIGER!" shouted Dromarch as he attacked the Crustip from the back.

The Crustip immediately turned around and focused its attention on Nia.

"Mythra looks hurt! HEALING HALO!" Nia bellowed.

Nia then repeatedly slashed the Crustip with her rings. The Crustip, clearly realizing it was outnumbered, began to retreat.

"I'll bust you up next time, I swear!" Nia shouted after it as it began to run away.

Pyra then turned her attention to Mythra.

"Are you ready to come home? Clearly, you can't fight without Rex as your driver."

Mythra gritted her teeth.

"I was doing fine on my own!"

"Are you an idiot? We all saw that you had trouble. I won't tell Rex, I promise," Nia said.

"Okay, fine! I'll come back. Don't expect me to talk to Rex or apologize or anything."

"Mythra! Rex is our driver!"

"That doesn't mean I have to be super nice to him."

"He trusts you."

"I'll speak to him when I feel like it again."

Pyra sighed.

"Mythra can be such a child sometimes," Nia muttered under her breath.

"Excuse me! What was that Nia?"

"Nothing, Mythra, I was just talking to myself."

They made their way back to Corinne's house. It appeared that everyone was asleep. As they stepped in, they suddenly heard yelling coming from Rex's room.

"Pyra! We'll go together! Come on! Pyra! PYRAAAA!"

"He's having that nightmare again…" Pyra said, staring at the ground.

"I thought he had gotten over that already," Mythra commented.

"Dreams are weird…"

As Pyra lit a few lamps around the house, Aunt Corinne came out of her room.

"Pyra, Mythra, thank goodness. Please go check on Rex."

Pyra nodded but Mythra folded her arms.

"He's calling your name. Not mine."

Pyra shook her head at Mythra and then proceeded to open Rex's room door.

"Pyraaaaaa!"

Pyra shook Rex to awaken him.

"Rex! I'm here. What is it?"

Rex breathed heavily for a few moments. Pyra hugged him tightly until he stopped hyperventilating.

"Ugh, Pyra, it's that nightmare again."

"Are you ok? I knew I shouldn't have surprised you at that moment. I should have sat you down and prepared you for it. Mythra wanted me to do it but I couldn't muster the courage."

"It's not your fault Pyra. It would have been something quite difficult to talk about."

"You know, there was a time I almost did not want to be your blade. I wanted to leave you soon after we left Torigoth."

"Really?" Rex sat up.

"I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to put you through losing me."

"Yes, Pyra did tell me that," Aunt Corinne said. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear."

"Huh? Auntie, you knew?"

"She didn't want you to suffer too much. Said being a driver of the Aegis would undoubtedly bring hardship. But you made it through Rex, and brought both of them back."

"Hey Pyra, I thought we weren't going to tell him that!" Mythra interrupted.

"I think it's best to be honest with him, it's much easier after the fact."

"Hi Mythra, you are back!"

"Hmph," Mythra responded and then turned to go to her room.

"Oh, give her a little more time."

"Why are you guys all dripping wet?" Rex asked.

"Oh umm, I can fix that."

"You'll burn the house down, Pyra," Nia said.

Corinne laughed before handing towels to everyone. Moments later, Rex fell asleep again.

There were several bedrooms in Corinne's house. Pyra and Rex usually slept in a room with two beds across from each other. Mythra took the room across the hall to avoid repeating an incident she had with Rex. Dromarch and Nia also used the same room. Across from Mythra's room were two rooms for guests. Finally at the end of the corridor was where Aunt Corinne stayed.

Exhausted from searching for Mythra, Pyra also fell asleep quickly.

Mythra, on the other hand, was a different story. She stayed awake for a while, deep in thought.

"Mythra, shouldn't you get some sleep?"

"I'm fine."

"Something's bothering you, I can tell."

"Leave me alone!" Mythra snapped.

"Alright...if you say so..." Nia rolled to her side to avoid any eye contact with Mythra.

Mythra closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.

"Ughhh, why am I so good at being a jerk?!" she thought to herself.

* * *

Rex awoke to the sound of pots clanging in the kitchen. Pyra had started on breakfast quite early. Ever since they started living in Fonsett, Pyra started doing most of the cooking. She always seemed to be able to come up with something delicious. The kids of Fonsett also seemed to adore her desserts and often came by for some of her treats.

Pyra saw this as an opportunity to live a normal life, something that she had never experienced before.

"Breakfast is ready," Pyra called out down the hallway.

Aunt Corinne helped set the table as Nia and Dromarch emerged from their room.

Rex got up and as he looked across the hall, he met Mythra's eyes.

"G-good morning, Mythra."

"Don't be a jerk," Mythra said to herself.

"Morning, Rex…" she murmured.

"Look, about yesterday…"

Mythra cringed.

"He's going to apologize and make me feel worse."

"I'm sorry, I know asking you to change as a person overnight isn't going to happen. I-I still love you as I love Pyra, and Nia, and the rest of the crew."

To Mythra, Rex's words felt like bites and stings from a Skeeter. Failing to discover words that would suffice in a response, she put her head down and rushed toward the dining room.

"Did I say something wrong?" Rex asked, chasing after Mythra.

Pyra stood at the dining table feeling helpless, unsure of what to do or say in order to remedy the situation. The two sat down at the table where Nia, Corinne, and Dromarch were waiting.

"Well, I guess we should all dig in before it gets cold," Pyra said, trying her best to stifle her emotional reaction to Mythra and Rex's feud. Deep down she just wished her sister would just cut it out. When they were together, Mythra could read her thoughts. Now, she struggled with the idea of having her own independent thoughts that Mythra did not know about and vice versa.

"Look, I don't know what it is that's bothering you, Mythra."

"Give it a rest Rex! I am not in a talking mood right now," Mythra snapped.

"Mythra!" Pyra scolded.

To avoid further awkwardness, they began eating. Rex stared at his plate until Mythra poked him likely. She reached for his hand and slipped a small piece of paper into his hand.

"Meet me at the Village Guardian after breakfast. Just you, not Pyra or anybody else," it read.

Rex subtly nodded at Mythra. The remainder of breakfast was relatively quiet until the letter carrier came by the house.

Aunt Corinne thanked the carrier and handed Rex an official looking letter with the seal of Mor Ardain adorning the envelope.

"Looks to be something from the Emperor and Lady Morag," she said.

Rex read the letter aloud.

" _Dear Rex, Pyra, Mythra, Nia and Dromarch. We hope this letter finds you all well. As you know, the leaders of all kingdoms have gathered here in Mor Ardain to discuss everything from peace treaties, trade agreements, and the new land itself. Our first milestone is a peace accord with Uraya and we could not have done it with the help you all._

 _We would like to extend an invitation for a peace banquet to celebrate this occasion next weekend._

 _We would love to see you all again._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Emperor Niall_

 _Chief Inquisitor Morag_ "

"Sure, that sounds like fun," Nia agreed.

"Rex?"

"Yeah definitely, we haven't seen Morag in ages."

"Okay! Sounds great. Anyways, I'm going to buy more salvage cylinders. Gormott still has some rare treasures I'm sure."

"Need me to come?" Pyra asked.

"Nah, it's a short walk."

Rex looked at Mythra who nodded back slightly. He grabbed his wallet and salvaging helmet and headed for the door. Mythra waited a few minutes after he had left.

"Alright, I'm going for a walk, alone," Mythra said, arms folded to indicate she didn't want company.

"Ummm…okay Mythra…" Pyra said.

As Mythra left the house, Pyra went over to the sink and began helping Corinne with the dishes. Nia and Dromarch decided to head on outside to help some of the neighbors with farming. Since they settled in Leftheria, Nia made a promise to atone for her past associations with Torna. Now that the world was at relative peace, she wanted help keep it that way.

Mythra found Rex next to the Village Guardian.

"Listen, Rex, I know I've been a total jerk to you."

"I wouldn't say a total jerk, you've always been touchy though."

"Yeah well, part of that is because I didn't want to come back to this world after the Aegis War. You saw that others blamed me for the continents sinking. Even if that was Amalthus' doing, he led me to believe it was my fault. And good luck convincing the rest of the world about that."

"That's why you created Pyra."

"Yes, just let me finish Rex," Mythra snapped.

"Anyways, I created Pyra hoping to avoid ever coming back. Clearly, that was a stupid dream on my part. You woke me and at first, I was angry that you did because I didn't want to relive the past. I saw a bit of Addam in you and I immediately feared that the past would repeat itself. So I tried my best to get you to stop being my driver. Again, I was pretty stupid then. It wasn't Pyra that wanted to stop being your Blade, those were my thoughts. After Jin and Malos took me at Tantal, you did everything in your power to rescue me. That was touching, by the way. But at that point, I had made a promise to protect you. You would do the same for anyone. So, I don't hate you or anything. I just have a horrible habit of being a jerk because that was my way of trying to avoid this world, and it's going to be hard for me to change as a person. Anyways, I am sorry if I offended you in any way. I never told you this Rex, but I do really care about you. I always will. I'm just shitty at showing it most of the time. Pyra is much better at this. She's obviously my better half."

"Mythra…" Rex stepped closer. Before he knew it, Mythra pulled him into a quick embrace. However, it ended as fast as it began, much unlike Pyra who would almost smother Rex. As it was with speaking tactfully, embracing also wasn't one of Mythra's strong suits.

"I'm going to try and be a more supportive Blade but I'm not promising anything. Let's not let a few words get between us again. Still, I will never be Pyra and honestly, it's okay if you love her more than me. I won't take it personally."

"Mythra, I love you the way you are. Sure being less touchy might be a little nicer, but that does not mean I don't think you're a supportive Blade. I'm just glad we can understand each other like Blades and Drivers should."

"Rex, you're so cliché. I can see why Gramps gets tired of your optimism."

The two looked at each other and laughed.

"Oy! What are you two lovebirds doing here?" asked a familiar whimsical voice.

Mythra turned bright red as she turned to see who it was.

"Zeke! What are you doing in Leftheria?" Rex asked.

"Let me guess, your father kicked you out again?" Mythra teased.

"Hey, shut up! Can a man visit his old friends in peace?" Zeke said to Mythra.

"You probably shouldn't tell an Aegis to shut up!" Pandoria retorted.

"Hey hey hey!" Rex shouted, trying to break up the charade.

"Oh look, see, Rex lied to have a secret meeting with Mythra!" Nia shouted.

"How could you Rex?" Pyra playfully scolded.

"Indeed, it seems Rex definitely isn't salvaging," Dromarch mused.

Rex and Mythra looked at each other, neither finding the right words. They had not expected any of their friends to find them. Fortunately, Nia noticed Zeke.

"Shellhead!"

"Wha…? Nia! Don't call me Shellhead!"

"Shellhead, could you tell us what Rex and Mythra were doing?"

"I will burn you, Zeke," Mythra said.

"Arguing like a married couple…owww," Zeke joked and then was promptly shoved by Mythra.

"That's not true," Pandoria said.

"Guys guys! Mythra and I were just talking about umm…fighting strategy," Rex interjected.

"Sure, I believe that…" Nia said in an incredulous voice.

"Anyways, what brings you here Zeke?" Pyra asked.

"Well, Morag sent me to see if you were going to the peace banquet. I've got a ship that can take you to Mor Ardain."

"Morag sent you, Shellhead?"

"Hey, I'm trustworthy!"

"Yes, we are going Zeke. When should we leave?" Rex agreed.

"We shall leave in two days. In the meantime, Rex, you okay if I hang around here?"

"Sure, you can stay with us."

"Alright, thanks. Rex, I've got to ask. Do you have anything to drink?"

"Like water?"

"Yes Rex, he definitely asked for water. Zeke, we have some wine but that's pretty much it. Too many little kids in this town," Mythra answered.

"That'll have to do. Haven't you let Rex sneak a few drinks? I'm disappointed Mythra."

"Zeke! Don't encourage her!" Pyra said, horrified at the suggestion.

"I'm kidding! Anyways, it's good seeing you all."

"Zeke did have a few drinks while underage," Pandoria blurted.

"Hey! It was legal in Tantal!"

"Oh, no wonder Shellhead is the way he is now! It makes sense," Nia remarked.

"Hey! No fair! Bullies, all of you!"

Everyone laughed and began to head back to the village. Mythra looked at Rex and reached her hand out.

"Come on Rex."

Pyra looked at Rex and then over at Mythra.

"You both good with each other again?" she asked.

"I guess," Mythra replied, taking Rex's hand. Pyra grabbed Rex's other hand and smiled. "Let's go home then, together."


	2. The Flesh Eater

**Note: I've decided that this could be something that could go on longer than a couple of chapters. Life's about to become pretty busy though so I may not get them out as quickly though.**

 **I did not completely forget about Nia and the fact that she still loves Rex. I doubted she was just going to stop pursuing him just like that. So, here comes The Flesh Eater.**

* * *

"Do you mind lending me a hand, Rex?" Pyra asked.

"Huh? Oh, umm…what do you need?" inquired Rex.

"We need to pack clothes for our trip to Mor Ardain. No, you can't wear your salvaging gear to the banquet."

"Awww, Pyra, you know I don't like to dress up."

"I know, but I'm also aware that you should probably do so for this special occasion."

"Fine, I'll take these and these," Rex said, pointing at a dress shirt and fancy dress shoes along with a navy-blue tie.

"Oooo, what's Mythra going to wear? More clothes?" Nia quipped in the next room.

"Shut up!" Mythra snapped.

"You know blades don't have to dress up, my lady," Dromarch remarked.

"THIS IS A DISASTER! WHERE IS TURTURS?" shouted a panicked Zeke from down the hall.

"He's right here, in plain sight," Pandoria point out.

After everyone packed up, Zeke ushered everyone to the next island where a ship would be waiting.

"Be careful out there," Aunt Corinne called out after them.

"Oh don't worry, the only one that's going to get into trouble is Shellhead," Nia scoffed.

"Hey! I never get into trouble!"

"For one, you are about to run into a Skeeter nest."

No less than eight Skeeters emerged from the test and began to attack the group.

"Gahhhh! We've lost the upper hand!" Rex exclaimed as he grabbed his sword.

"Mythra! Are you ready?"

"Yes, Rex. I can do it!" Mythra replied. "Ray of Punishment!"

"There goes all of them," Nia observed as the Skeeters all fell to the ground from Mythra's immense attack.

"Oh good, nice to see that neither of them got into a fight with each other," Nia retorted.

"Nice going Zeke," Mythra said sarcastically.

"Now now, can you be more supportive of the others too?" Rex asked.

"Jeez Rex, now you're telling me I have to be nice to everyone. I don't think I can do that. It's a bit too hard for me."

"Let's not get into another fight," Pyra said, separating the two yet again.

"Anyways, the ship is right in front of us; we should go," Zeke quipped.

The group boarded the Titan ship heading for Mor Ardain. The journey would take them at least a day and night before they would find themselves back on land. Mòrag would be waiting for them. A couple of months had gone by since the last time the group was united. Mòrag and Zeke had to return to their respective kingdoms immediately as there would have been a lot of politicking to do. Tora and Poppi returned to Dadapon in Torigoth which itself was being divided up between Uraya and Mor Ardain due to an arrangement made earlier as restitution for the Temperantia Incident. There was indeed a strong likelihood that Mòrag would have invited Tora to the banquet for the old crew to meet up together again.

"By the way, Tora and Poppi will be coming too. Mòrag made a trip to Torigoth to pick them up," Zeke remarked.

"Oh yes! We'll be able to see everyone again!" Rex exclaimed.

Mythra stood alone on the deck while the rest of the crew stayed inside the ship. This concerned Rex, who was determined to get his Blade to socialize with the rest of the group.

"Mythra, why are you up here all alone?"

"Because I want to be!" she snapped.

Rex shot Mythra a hurt look.

"I thought you were going to stop being a jerk."

"Oh, I'm a jerk now!"

"Mythra, you know that's not what I meant."

Mythra sighed and shook her head.

"I'm sorry Rex, this isn't going to happen overnight. Pyra's got that sweet and gentle personality, and I've got none of that. I am fierce and aggressive, and I want to fight someone. I do miss asserting my dominance over the other Blades, like before the Aegis war when I beat everyone."

"You want to fight everyone?"

"Well, I don't want to hurt anybody, but yes."

"Shall I tell the others?"

"Let's wait until we get to Mor Ardain. Brighid and I have a score to settle."

"If I let you do this, you'll become nicer?"

"Sure, I just need to get it out of my system."

"Is fighting all you know?"

Mythra stared at the ground at this question before eventually answering.

"All I've ever known is war. For the first time, the world is at peace when I've been active in it. Perhaps you all can show me what peace is. Still, I want to have a few fights before that."

"Who would you like to fight?"

"Hmm, let's see, Brighid, just her…"

"Well, maybe we can arrange that."

"Please don't," Pyra said.

"I am in a private conversation with Rex. Could you please not interrupt, Pyra?" Mythra said, clearly irritated that Pyra was eavesdropping.

"Rex, you know that this means you have to do some fighting too. You are her Driver, and you'll have to put your best effort against your friends."

"Be quiet Pyra! I'm talking to him. Rex, if you don't feel comfortable doing that, I understand."

"Mythra, I'll do it as long as you promise not to kill anyone."

"What have you done to Rex, Mythra?" Pyra asked, looking confused that Rex was suddenly itching to fight his friends.

"Oy Rex! Is this some sort of mutiny?" Zeke had found his way onto the deck as well.

"No no! It's nothing like that. Mythra is just itching for a fight against, uhh...worthy opponents, such as yourself."

"Oh really?"

"I would not consider Shellhead a worthy opponent any day," Nia scoffed.

"Ughhhh, can we ever have any privacy around here?!" Mythra complained loudly.

"You talk so loudly sometimes that we couldn't help but hear. Also, Pyra wanted to come up for some fresh air. Did you forget about your other girl?"

Rex, Mythra, and Pyra all turned bright red.

"Ummm…well…Nia...sometimes I want to talk to just Mythra."

"This is, like, only the first time. You've tried to avoid Mythra most of the time because she's mean to you."

"Okay! This conversation is over, let's go back down."

"Seriously, we will arrange this fight for you, Mythra and you better believe we'll be taking bets," Zeke said.

"What do you mean?"

"This will be the fight of the century! The whole of Mor Ardain will be watching!"

"Zeke, don't you dare invite the world! I will kill you!" Mythra shouted, chasing after Zeke.

"It's almost dinner time," Pyra noted. "I'm going to help in the kitchen."

"Zeke, you are lucky I can't use my powers with Rex's permission. That's the downside of being a Blade," Mythra sighed.

"Unless you are a flesh eater," Zeke said.

"Hey! I don't like being called that," Nia interjected. "Just because I revealed myself does not mean you can call me a Flesh Eater."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!"

"Oh Shellhead, I was just joking."

"Nia, I don't think the comedy thing is working out. You should find another line of work."

"I'm going to see how Pyra's doing," Rex said. "Mythra, you want to come?"

"No thanks. I'll just ruin Pyra's cooking."

"I'll go with you," Pandoria offered.

"Yes, the Zekenator knows how to cook too!" Zeke said.

"Oh Architect! Help us all from the food poisoning Shellhead is going to give us!" Nia jested.

Zeke and Pandoria followed Rex into the kitchen where Pyra was busy slicing fish.

"Here fishy fishy!" Pandoria exclaimed.

"Baked Redfish, it's a recipe I learned from the Turkin."

"When did you talk with the Turkin?" Rex asked.

"I went to apologize to them for attacking them back when Bana attempted his assassinations. We cooked a bit overnight so the negotiations could still go on the next day."

"I could have helped!"

"Umm…Rex, I hate to break it to you, but you were out like a baby and I didn't want to wake you."

"That does smell good," Zeke noted as Pyra prepared the Bizarre Soup. "Anything we can do to help?"

"You can watch the Soup and make sure it doesn't boil over. I'll get started on the Trident Fish with Pandoria. Rex, could you remove the shells on these Beat Shrimp?"

Mythra stood at the door and watched as everyone worked together.

"Hi Mythra, do you want to peel shrimp?" Rex asked.

"Eww, shrimp are just large underwater bugs. No thanks! I'll umm…prepare some drinks."

"Remember Mythra, Rex and Nia are underage," Pyra warned.

"I know! I know! I'll give them fruit juice instead of wine!"

"Good, my lady doesn't need to drink," Dromarch remarked.

"Dromarch doesn't need a drink either," Nia replied.

* * *

"Delicious!" Nia exclaimed. "I didn't know fish could be this good!"

"Thanks, Nia!" Pyra said with a big smile.

"More wine!" Zeke shouted.

"How many is that?" Pandoria asked.

"Let's see…" Mythra said, counting off on her fingers. "Four?"

"I don't think Zeke should have anymore."

"Can Blades get drunk?" Rex asked.

"No, that's why drunk Drivers often rely on their Blades to get them home safely. Besides, it's much more fun watching people get drunk," Mythra said.

"But you're missing endless fun times!" Zeke lamented.

"Okay, you've had too much," Mythra said, replacing his wineglass with a cup of water.

"Oh, Mythra, how could you be so cruel?"

"Let's finish up all the fish and get to sleep so we can get up tomorrow. We'll be in Mor Ardain soon enough," Pyra advised.

"I can help with that," Dromarch said, swallowing a fish whole, surprising Nia with his lapse in manners.

"Dromarch, did you drink?" Nia asked.

"Blades can't get drunk, my lady. It was a lapse in judgment."

The group laughed.

"Oh, Dromarch is just showing his wild side a bit," Pyra joked.

Rex yawned. "All this food is making me tired."

"You better not be tired tomorrow. You and I will be fighting Brighid," Mythra said.

"What? Tomorrow? You don't even know if she's going to agree to a fight."

"Oh, she will, it will be just like old times."

"She always lost to you though. She might not think it's something she wants to do."

"Oh, and we're training tomorrow morning too."

"Awww, I wanted to relax."

"You're a Driver, and it's your job to keep your Blade in shape." Mythra folded her arms.

"Ughhhh, fine."

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Pyra asked.

"Yes."

"I won't be participating Rex. I don't like the idea of fighting our friends."

"It will just be one Blade with one Driver against another."

"I still think we should take bets from some high-ranking officials at the banquet at least," Zeke said.

"I think Mòrag would be very against her officials taking bets, squandering tax dollars," Nia noted. "She's pretty strict about those things."

"What about officials from Uraya or Tantal?"

"Would your father approve?" Nia asked.

"I've long abandoned trying to seek his approval," Zeke shot back.

"Suit yourself, don't blame me if you get arrested for something."

Rex yawned again. "Alright, I'm headed to bed."

"I think it's time to call it a day, my lady," Dromarch suggested.

"Yes, let's all get some shut eye," Zeke agreed.

The room arrangements on the ship were the same. Pyra followed Rex to their room.

"You going to be okay? I know you've had nightmares lately."

"I'll be fine."

"Well, I'll wake you up if you end up shouting again."

"I am really sorry that I'm making you feel more guilty with my nightmares."

"It's okay. Although one of these days, you ought to make Mythra feel bad for it."

"I don't think to sleep in the same room as Mythra is ever a good idea for me."

Pyra laughed. "I guess not. Good night Rexy."

"Huh? Since when have you called me 'Rexy'?"

Pyra twiddled her thumbs and blushed. "I meant Rex. Sorry, my tongue was tied."

"Oh, it's alright, it happens."

Pyra seemed relieved that Rex bought her excuse without further thought. While she had feelings for Rex since she first laid eyes on him, she didn't think it was the right time to express them adequately. Rex was young and a little naïve. Love was still a close friendship with him. On top of that, Nia had already shown her feelings for Rex and asking Rex to make a choice would undoubtedly be tough for him. To complicate things further, The Architect had brought her and Mythra back as separate Blades. While Mythra might have a snarky attitude, still loved Rex as well. It was just too much to involve Rex in yet.

"No, he's not ready. I'm not ready. What would Mythra think?" Pyra thought to herself.

Before she knew it, Rex was sound asleep, so she quietly laid down on her bed as well. Unfortunately, the peace was somewhat short-lived as Rex began to toss and turn. He started to mumble things.

"Control room…come on Pyra, let's go."

"Should I wake him now? I know he has that nightmare again."

"Pyra, what are you doing?!"

Pyra grabbed Rex and shook him awake. Rex awoke and stared right into Pyra's eyes.

"Huh? What are you doing in my bed Pyra? Yo-you're not going to throw things at me are you?"

"Shhh, no no no. It's nothing like that. You were tossing and turning. You were mumbling things as if you had that nightmare again. I wanted to stop it before you started shouting."

"Oh…uhh…I'm sorry?"

"There's no need to be sorry. Anyways, back to sleep." Pyra tucked Rex back in and they soon fell asleep without further interruptions.

* * *

Breakfast was rather simple with some leftover Lucky Dawn Bread and Glitterbake. Pyra was also scrambling some eggs. Rex awoke and wandered out of the room. It appeared that everyone else was still asleep, so he found his way to the dining room. Mythra was already sitting st the table.

"Finally, you got up, lazy head."

"What? I'm the first one up, except for you two."

"Oh, come on, can't you take a joke, Rex?"

"Only from people that make decent jokes," Rex responded sarcastically.

"Since when did you become all snarky?"

"I only learn from the best."

"Eggs are done! Wake up, everyone!" Pyra shouted down the hall.

Minutes later, Zeke and Nia groggily made their way out.

"Ahhhhh! I have the worst headache in the world and my stomach is on fire!" Zeke exclaimed.

"Yep, he's hungover. Good thing he's not fighting Mythra. We'd be dead in no time," Pandoria declared.

"Hey, very funny Pandoria, this is actually pretty bad."

All eyes turned to Nia.

"What? You really think I'm going to heal him? I'm having too much fun watching him right now," Nia said.

"Hey! You better heal me, you bully."

"In all seriousness, I don't think I can cure hangovers. He's going to have to tough this one out."

"What really?"

"No, I am kidding."

"You little…" Zeke said, playfully elbowing Nia.

"Hey! How dare you elbow your healer!?"

After some roughhousing, Nia finally cast a healing spell which did make Zeke's headaches go away.

"When we are done with breakfast, Rex and I are going to do some training," Mythra said.

"Aren't we going to visit Mòrag first?" Rex asked.

"I think Mòrag is already here, and she's brought Tora and Poppi along," Zeke noted.

The ship had docked at Mor Ardain already and Mòrag made her way on board with Tora.

"Rex-Rex!" Tora exclaimed. "Why you have such concerned look? Hello!"

"Hello everyone," Mòrag greeted in her usual severe voice.

"Mythra wants to challenge Brighid to a fight," Rex blurted.

"Oh? Mythra? Do you want a fight? Remember, you did lose to me once," Brighid said.

"Shut up! That was a fluke, and I will have my revenge!" Mythra shouted.

"I accept. We shall fight after our banquet tonight. Mòrag and I have business to attend to before them."

"Rex, I guess we're doing training."

"We'll come with you, I could use some training myself, so I don't become rusty," Nia said.

"Hey! Count me in," Zeke said.

"Tora and Poppi want to fight too."

"I say we head to the abandoned factory. Some powerful Drivers have apparently made that place home," Mythra said.

"Be careful out there," Mòrag warned. "Those Drivers are fierce."

"Have you fought them?"

"Well, yes. They don't call me the most powerful Blade in Mor Ardain for no reason," Brighid added.

"Then it's settled, we will train and then Brighid and I will have our rematch," Mythra declared.

"There's a nice spot at the Old Industrial district where we could have our fight," Rex added.

"Perfect," Brighid said. "Mythra, prepare to be defeated again."

"As if I would ever let that happen!" Mythra shouted back.

"Whoa, look at all these powerful drivers!" Tora whispered as the crew peeked into the Abandoned Factory from the vent that they previously used as a secret entrance.

"There are certainly quite a few of them," Pyra whispered back, giving Rex a look of concern.

"I think we'll be fine, as long as we stick together," said Rex.

"As long as you don't mess up," Mythra muttered.

"Hey, supportive words, Mythra."

"Huh, Rex? I didn't say anything," Mythra replied.

"My lady, how do you feel about this?" Dromarch asked.

"Well, we came all the way here, I'm not going to bail now," Nia responded, arms folded.

"They will have to taste my Overloaded Thunder Beam," Zeke added.

"Poppi ready for fight, Masterpon is different story."

"Meh? Meh meh meh! I can fight too! I not scared! Poppi QTp should be more respectful to Masterpon!"

"Small fry!" shouted a Driver as he ran over to the vent.

"Tora talk too loud, now we have to fight," Poppi observed.

"Chaaaarge!" Rex shouted as he raised his weapon.

"Rex, I think you should slow down!" Pyra said, running next to him.

"I think Mythra wants this," Rex said.

"Let me take over!" Mythra shouted.

"Rolling smash!"

"Break!"

"Let's topple him!"

"Overloaded thunder beeaaaaaam!"

"Ultra-lightning fury slash MAX!"

"Healing halo!"

"Rex we can do it!" Mythra shouted.

"Ray of Punishment!"

The battle raged on as other Drivers joined the fray, but soon, Mythra and Rex quickly overpowered them, scattering most of the Drivers.

"We own this factory now!" Rex shouted after them.

"Not so fast!" shouted a menacing looking driver.

"Whaaack!"

Rex's world suddenly went black.

* * *

Rex awoke at the inn, with the entire group around him.

"Whaaa…what happened?"

"A powerful driver knocked you out. He decided that was enough and allowed us to take you to the inn," Pyra said.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Pyra added.

Rex suddenly sat up.

"Mythra! Is she okay?"

"Calm down Rex; I'm right here." Mythra reached over and took Rex's hand.

"I'm sorry Rex, I put you in that situation," she said.

Rex appeared shocked that Mythra was apologizing to him.

"Are you sure you're okay Mythra?"

"I'm fine; I'm more concerned about you."

"Hello Rex," Mòrag said.

"Some Ardanian soldiers informed me of what happened, so I rushed here. Is everyone alright?"

Rex nodded.

"Mythra, I take it this means we should postpone our fight?" Brighid asked.

"Yes, I think that's best for Rex."

"Mythra…"

"Can everyone leave us alone for a few minutes?" Mythra asked.

"Ooooh, what are you planning?" Nia "taunted.

"Everyone out! Pyra, you can stay."

The others left the three alone. However, Nia was keen on eavesdropping and she stayed right outside the door, pressing her ear against it.

"Rex, I never asked if you wanted to fight Mòrag. For that, I apologize. I had assumed that because I wanted to fight Brighid, that you were cool with the plan. I know you say 'yes' to things way too regularly. Now Rex, tell me honestly, do you want to fight Mòrag and Brighid?"

"I will do it because you want to," Rex said.

"Oh, Rex you idiot! That was not the question! I ask if you wanted to," Mythra said.

"I want to help you…"

"Rex…"

"I want to make you feel happy. So yes, I will fight."

Mythra rolled her eyes. "One of these days, Rex is going to do something for himself rather than his Blades."

"Hey, Mòrag is a tough opponent and I want to fight!"

"Now that's more like it," Mythra said.

"I like how this entire thing is just you settling a score. I can't believe you would manipulate Rex for this," Pyra said, with a hint of anger.

"You are using the fact he wants to help you to your advantage and putting him in a dangerous situation!"

"Huh? He said he wants to fight."

"Just to keep you happy!"

"You know what? Maybe I don't want to fight right now."

"So you probably want me to leave and stop bugging you?" Mythra asked.

"You're not going away, are you?"

"Oh no, I mean to leave as in leaving the room."

"Uh..."

"Yes, Mythra, I think he wants you to go for a bit," Pyra interjected.

Nia slid around the corner while Mythra left the room.

"Ugh, I've done it now," Mythra muttered, furious at herself.

Back in the room, Pyra was making sure Rex didn't suffer any lasting injuries.

"You feeling alright? The world isn't spinning for you, is it? That was a hard blow to the head.

"I'm fine Pyra. I think I can get out of bed now."

"You should rest, Rex. You don't want to go to the banquet exhausted."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Well, I'm going to go tell off Mythra more."

"Don't overdo it, Pyra."

As Pyra left, Nia snuck her way back into Rex's room.

"Hello, Rex."

"Nia? What are you doing here?"

"Come on Rex, when's the last time we spoke to each other? You've been mostly talking to Pyra and Mythra."

"Oh, uh…I talk to you every day."

"Barely… by the way, why do you like Mythra anyways? She's always mean to you."

"She's my Blade?"

"So?"

"She's a part of Pyra?"

"Oh come on, not anymore. They can't read each other's thoughts anymore. They are two different Blades now. Honestly, you can't keep letting her bully you. Stand up to her."

"Nia, I love Mythra just like I love you and Pyra and the others."

Nia gritted her teeth.

"That's so corny Rex. Eventually, you'll have to pick someone."

"Why can't I have all of you?"

Nia burst into laughter.

"Because, oh never mind, you're too naïve to figure this out now. You're such a child sometimes!"

"Hey, didn't you say Mythra was mean? What about you?"

"I'm nice; I'm here to heal you."

Nia stood over at Rex's bed and began her healing procedures. She stared into Rex's eyes and tightly gripped his hand.

"Uh, Nia. Is this normal?"

"Sure it is, I'm just making sure you get fully healed."

"Oh, umm okay."

Moments later, Nia had finished healing Rex but still squeezed his hand tightly.

"Nia, you're hurting my hand…"

"I'm sorry!"

Just then, Pyra showed up again.

"Nia? What are you doing here?"

Nia looked at Pyra nervously. "I…was just healing him."

"Oh, are you better Rex?"

"Yeah, I feel much better! How's Mythra?"

"She told Mòrag after I told her off. Brighid was there and also told Mythra off, but she said she was ready if you ever decide you want to entertain Mythra's desire for revenge."

"You know, I still want to, let me go talk to her."

"You just got hurt!"

"And now Nia healed me! I gotta run!"

"Don't be reckless Rex," Nia warned.

"I won't."

Rex left before they could stop him. Nia turned to Pyra, looking nervous. Pyra looked back.

"Nia, thanks for helping him. I know I'm kind of useless when he's hurt."

"Uhhh. No worries, Pyra. You're not useless, don't say that. You've always done anything you can for Rex."

Unlike Pyra, Nia couldn't say the same for herself. Her history with Torna certainly made things complicated for Rex. Rex still felt the urge to rescue her. That moment still bewildered her to this day. She had strong feelings for him from that day on but was hesitant to express them. She did not want to get in between what she felt was a strong relationship between Rex and Pyra and Mythra. Perhaps if she just told Pyra, things would be less awkward. However, Mythra and Pyra coming back as separate beings made things even more interesting. Did Rex love one person more than the other? Rex would, of course, say he loved everyone, clearing up absolutely nothing.

"Pyra, you know, I've been thinking…"

"Nia, I think I know what you are about to say. Back when Mythra and I were one being when we became Pneuma, I used Mythra's foresight and saw this moment."

Pyra pulled Nia into a tight embrace.

"I know this is hard and complicated because Rex has three of us. Honestly, I've thought about it for a while. I think you're the best person for him. I'll admit I did have some feelings for him, but I still think I'm not the best girl for him. For one, I am a Blade and two, I feel more like his older sister than a romantic partner."

This shocked Nia who pulled back from Pyra's embrace. Her eyes were wide open. She had always thought Pyra was overprotective of Rex because she had feelings for him.

Meanwhile, Pyra wasn't sure if she had said those words earnestly or just to make Nia happy. She thought Nia was the best partner for Rex, but she also felt that her own relationship with Rex was much more profound and farther along. Deep down, Pyra thought that she had gotten there first and a hint of jealousy welled up inside her each time she saw Nia and even Mythra with Rex. Her thoughts were interrupted by Nia somewhat incredulous attitude.

"Really?"

"Mythra and I, we are Blades. We support him and love him, but I don't know if a full relationship is going to work. It certainly did not work with Addam."

"You heard Corinne though. She was rambling about 'Drivers marrying their blades.'"

Pyra blushed. "Who told you about that?"

"Brighid."

"That sneaky…okay, she did say that, but I would much rather Rex umm…how should I say this, find himself a human companion."

Nia sat down as this was difficult for her to process.

"I had no idea you felt this way."

"Don't get me wrong; I love Rex. I just want what I think is best for him."

"Did I really just say that?" Pyra thought to herself. Only half of that was indeed what she believed.

"What does Mythra think?" Nia asked.

"Mythra isn't really good at relationships."

"No? Who would have guessed?"

"I think she ultimately feels the same way. She did have a heartfelt moment with Rex at the Village Guardian, but she isn't sure it will lead to much."

"Says who?" Mythra interrupted.

"You said it, Mythra."

"Alright, I did. I love Rex too, but not in that way. He doesn't know better right now anyway. He's still in the 'I love everyone' phase."

"Okay, how should we tell Rex?" Nia asked.

"Neither of us are good at giving relationship advice. We are Aegises. Fighting is our strong suit," Mythra replied.

"I would spend some time with Rex and hopefully he'll understand one day," Pyra suggested.

"So, you two aren't going to backstab me one day and take him?"

"I don't have a knife," Pyra said.

"Me either," Mythra said.

"As if that's reassuring, very funny," Nia retorted.

"I would just tell him how you feel. Don't be surprised if he gives you the 'I love everyone' speech again," Mythra added.

"One day he will realize," Pyra reassured.

"Mythra, can you use Foresight for that?"

"Foresight has its limitations, so that'll be a no."

"Thanks for telling me."

"Mythra! Mythraaaa!" Rex shouted.

"What do you want Rex?" Mythra said, stepping out into the hallway.

"Brighid is ready!"

"That reckless idiot still wants to fight! I guess I'll have my revenge soon."

* * *

Mòrag stood to wait for Rex and Mythra.

"This will be like old times, for both of us," Brighid said.

"We will fight until one of us is toppled for longer than 15 seconds," Mòrag said. "Afterwards, we have a banquet to go to so let's not make this too rough."

A sizable crowd of soldiers had gathered around them.

"What in the world? Who…" Mythra looked bewildered.

"Zeke! I'm going to kill you!"

"I just brought a small audience. No worries," Zeke reassured.

"Rex, are you ready?" Mòrag asked.

"When you are," he replied, nodding at his opponent.

The pair both dished out their opening moves. Brighid surrounded Rex and Mythra with her Dancing Flames while Red attempted a Rolling Smash. He missed due to the flames, but was able to recover, hitting Mòrag with a Sword Bash.

"I won't go down that easily!" Mòrag shouted.

Brighid hit them with a Heat Haze, drawing cheers from the Ardanian soldiers.

"Ow!"

"Rex, we can do it!"

"Ray of Punishment!"

The attack drew cheers from the Urayans and other audience members.

"Come on guys! They are both on the same side now!" Zeke reminded them.

"Oh now you are going to get it," Brighid responded, hitting them with a Will-o'-the-Wisp. Rex immediately countered with Photon Edge. The attacks knocked both of them to the ground, but Rex and Mòrag got up almost immediately.

Needing some healing, Rex followed up with an Anchor Shot and drank the potions.

The fight continued with exchanges of Driver Arts. However, soon, Rex found himself in trouble as his attacks started missing. Mòrag surrounded herself with Brighid's flames making it virtually impossible to hit her.

Finally, Mythra and Rex were in perfect sync and were able to rain Sacred Arrow on their opponents, giving them just enough of a window to attack Mòrag. Brighid unleashed a Soulfire at the same time which engulfed everyone, making it hard for the audience to see. Moments later, as the flames and dust cleared, Rex and Mòrag were both on the ground. The two laid there for a bit before Mythra managed to help Rex to his feet. Mòrag was on the field for much longer, eventually getting to her feet unassisted. However, it took longer than 15 seconds. Zeke announced Rex and Mythra as the winners.

"I PRESENT TO YOU, THE AEGIS AND HIS DRIVER!"

"Shhhh! Not so loud!" Mythra scowled. "Zeke, don't draw so much attention!"

The Ardanians walked over to Zeke and handed him money.

"Seriously you took bets?!" Nia exclaimed.

"What?! How dare you squander Ardainain finances?!" Mòrag shouted, causing the Ardainian soldiers to scatter.

"Aw! It was about to be my payday," Zeke lamented.

"How dare you Zeke!" barked Mòrag.

"I told you this was a bad idea, Shellhead!" Nia said as she healed both Rex and Mòrag.

"Tora think Mòrag going to beat Zeke up!"

Mòrag smacked Zeke the face and walked away.

"Owww!"

"Ohhhh! Shellhead just got put in his place!"

"Chum! You should have lost on purpose! Then Mòrag would be happy that the Ardanians gained money," Zeke said.

"Huh?"

"Come on Rex; we should get to the palace," Nia suggested before grabbing Rex's hand.

"Huh? Where's Pyra and Mythra?"

"I think they went with Mòrag to speak to the emperor."

"What? What about me?"

"Don't worry; they'll be back. Besides, it's all politics and stuff. Boring!" Nia said, dragging Rex along.

"Oh alright," Rex said.

"Chum is now with Nia; this makes my head hurt."

"Well, he did have three girls. You have none. Simple, no need to think too hard," Pandoria stayed.

"Hey! I know plenty of girls too!" Zeke spat back.

"Sure, but most of them ran away. All you have is Mòrag and she hates you."

"Tora also have no girls. Too busy building Poppi, no time for seeing blushy crushy girl Nopons."

"Uhhhh…Tora should probably look for other qualities in girls. Blushy crushy isn't popular these days. No, independent and strong girls are the way to go," Nia advised quickly.

"World change so quickly for Tora."

"Poppi very much like this world better than Dadapon's world. Masterpon too obsessed with blushy crushy! Too lazy to talk to girls."

"Heyyyyyy!"

"What's this obsession with blushy crushy?" Rex asked.

"Don't worry about it, Rex," Nia said.

"My lady? I suppose you won't be riding on my back?" Dromarch asked.

"Unless you can handle Rex on your back too?"

"I'm probably too old for that, my lady."

"Blades don't age, but whatever. Come on Rex!"

Rex, although confused, found himself enjoying holding Nia's hand as they made their way to Hardhaigh Palace where the emperor was holding his banquet. There were many high-ranking officials and for the first time, the Tantalese were among the foreign dignitaries present.

"It looks like you are supposed to be representing Leftheria, Rex," Dromarch remarked as an Ardanian soldier handed Rex a badge to get into the banquet. On it was a sketch of the archipelago. Nia and Tora each received a Gormotti badge and Zeke donned a Tantalese badge.

"I didn't think they would allow us Gormotti to have any representation since Mor Ardain conquered us," Nia noted.

"Technically Gormott will be under joint control with one side belonging to the Urayans," Zeke pointed out.

"Then who gets Torigoth?" Tora asked.

"Torigoth will be under Gormotti control."

"What really?"

"Well, the Ardanian base will be divided but the city will be ruled by a Gormotti government."

"That sounds complicated. Come on Rex, let's go find a seat together."

"What about Mythra and Pyra?"

"They'll join us later."

* * *

"So, you made up the fact you are going to see my cousin just to set Rex up with Nia?" Mòrag asked.

"Yes," Mythra said.

"Wow! Did things not work out with Rex?" Brighid asked.

"No no, we just felt like he would like a human companion?"

"Oh? That's interesting; I must write this in my journal."

"Don't let Rex read it," Pyra warned.

The four of them stepped onto an elevator to take them down to the banquet hall.

"So do you think Nia will feel threatened by you two if she and Rex have a serious relationship?"

"Hmm…" Pyra thought.

"Have you considered that Nia might force him to release you two?"

"Release? Rex would never…maybe this wasn't such a great idea,"

Pyra thought. Mythra seemed more nonchalant to the whole notion.

"An Aegis can't really be released, Rex would have to die," Mythra explained.

"Oh, so she would just kill him?" Brighid mused.

"Oh, come on, Nia's a friend, she would understand," Pyra replied.

"Alright, suit yourself."

—

Nia and Rex sat next to each other at a round-table with the rest of the group.

"Where's Pyra?" Rex asked.

"Why are you so concerned about her. Just relax. They are with Mòrag. Don't you trust her?"

"Yes."

"Come on Rex; the world is at peace. You don't need to look out constantly for Pyra and Mythra. You can actually enjoy friendships, enjoy life. It's what you deserve after saving the world," Nia said.

"Chum! You've been in great battles, but a good soldier needs to know how to live after they've won the war," Zeke said.

"Rex-Rex should have fun."

"Poppi think Rex too uptight."

"Alright, I will try to relax."

There was a large bowl of Snowbaby Potato Salad a the table and Nia scooped some for herself.

"Want some potato salad, Rex?" she offered.

Rex nodded, and she added some to his plate too. A few minutes passed before the emperor showed up to deliver his remarks.

 _Ladies, gentleman, and Blades,_

 _We gather on this occasion to celebrate this day of peace. Of course, we owe all of this to The Aegis' Driver and his friends._

The group received a standing ovation from the audience. Right at that moment, Pyra and Mythra showed up and sat down quietly at their table. Rex appeared relieved that they were here. Mòrag joined Emperor Niall at his table.

 _We celebrate that today, we have agreed to make peace with our friends in Uraya. We know that in the past, we've offended each other. We've often misunderstood each other. But we've found common ground and today; we will no longer hold each other in contempt._

 _It's is time for us to rebuild a world of peace and set aside our desire for war. Tonight, we celebrate with this feast and tomorrow; we shall leave as friends. Thank you all._

There was another round of applause.

"Hello Pyra, Mythra," Rex said.

"Hello, Rex."

The main course was served along with bottles of champagne, much to Zeke's glee. The finest meats were served alongside various vegetarian dishes.

"Zeke, you better behave yourself for Tantal. Oh look, your father is here," Nia teased.

"What?"

King Eulogimenos pulled Zeke aside to talk to him about issues related to trade with the other kingdoms.

Eventually, after they had all stuffed themselves, it was time to retire to bed.

Pyra and Mythra thought up of a secret plan.

"Once Rex is asleep, Nia, you can go and sleep in his room," Mythra whispered.

"Whaaaat? Won't he be in for a surprise when he has that nightmare and Pyra isn't there to comfort him?"

"That's the point. You can be there for him instead."

"Before I do this, can I ask something?"

"Yes?"

"If this becomes a serious relationship, will you two ever feel jealous?"

"Wow Nia, that was direct," Mythra noted.

"We still think that since you have powerful feelings for him, you should be honest with him. Yes, we may have some feelings for him, but it's a bit different. We love him like he's our reckless younger brother," Pyra added.

"Really?"

"Trust us; you're the best partner for him."

The three executed their plan and Nia ended up sleeping in what would have been Pyra's bed. Predictably, Rex tossed and turned, eventually having the same nightmare. Nia froze, unsure if she should wake him.

"Pyraaaa!"

Nia shook Rex awake. He sat up quickly in shock.

"N-Nia?!"

"Are you okay Rex?"

"What are you...where's Pyra?"

Nia hugged Rex.

"They are in a different room. So, I'm here."

"I-I uhh okay."

"Rex, I know this is a shock but I'm deeply and madly in love with you," Nia confessed.

"I…I know that, but I love everyone."

"Rex, you still don't get it. Ever since you rescued me, I've wanted to be with you for the rest of our lives."

Rex slowly allowed the words to sink in and finally understood.

"Nia…I…I…"

"You what?"

"I love you too."

"Really?"

"I love Pyra and Mythra too, but not in the same way."

"You mean, you really want to be with me?"

"Yes."

Rex hugged Nia tightly. Outside Pyra and Mythra took turns peering through the keyhole.

"Have they kissed yet?" Mythra asked.

"No, mostly hugging. He hasn't kissed either of us either," Pyra commented.

"Well, I'm glad he's finally figured out his love life."

"Don't be so sure, he's still going to have us and I don't know how Nia feels about that."

"Well, whatever…"

Rex fell back asleep as Nia sat back down on her bed. Nia laid back down, still thinking about her future with Rex…that was until she fell asleep again.

Pyra stood at the door, still peering into the keyhole after Mythra left. Strong emotions suddenly overtook her though.

"I got here first Nia. I loved Rex first," Pyra thought.

"But Nia is the best for Rex…or is she? Oh, Rex, you make my life so complicated."

Pyra managed to pry herself away from the door and down the hallway. She crawled into bed. Exhausted from all the thinking, she fell asleep.


	3. Prominence Revolt

**Thanks for being patient with me in waiting for this chapter. My workday tends to leave me with just the evenings and weekends to do any writing.**

* * *

 **The opposite of your first thought is often your second thought. For Pyra, that appears no different. Wanting to keep both Rex and Nia happy, she gave up her joy. However, she wasn't about to give that up as quickly as she thought she could.**

* * *

After the celebrations, most of the group went their separate ways, returning to their families and their homes. Zeke needed to help Tantal with foreign relations, continuing to bring the kingdom out of isolation.

Mòrag had her duties as Special Inquisitor in Mor Ardain which involved overseeing the Ardanian army's expeditions for land and resources. The new landmass was just what the Ardanians needed as their Titan continued declining.

Tora went back to Torigoth, helping Dadapon with research into more advanced technologies for artificial Blades. Poppi also began venturing around town, helping those in need.

That left Rex and Nia. They had decided that it would be nice to check up on how the mercs were doing in Garfont Village. Their journey brought them to Fonsa Myma, where they spent the night. In the morning, they began their trek to Garfont Village.

* * *

"Did you sleep okay?" Pyra asked Rex.

"Yeah, I slept like a baby," Rex replied.

"A nice catnap," Nia responded.

"I slept well," Dromarch said.

"The usual responses," Pyra thought.

"I guess he and Nia haven't gotten too serious."

"What about you two?" Nia asked.

"Mythra snored," Pyra complained.

"That's a lie! I did not!" Mythra snapped.

"We should stop by the café before we go," Rex suggested.

"Rex…there is no café in Fonsa Myma. Honestly, your memory is worse than a Blade that's returned to their core crystal," Nia quipped. Mythra tried her best to hold her laughter, but a giggle snuck out.

"I brought some Jenerossi Tea and Glitterbake along. Why don't we just eat here before we go?" Pyra offered.

Rex looked very relieved.

"You're a lifesaver, Pyra."

"A lifesaver," Pyra thought. "Is that all I am to him? Yes, I did save his life, because I felt he was someone I could love and he would love me back."

"Uh Pyra, you alright?" Rex asked.

"Oh yes, I'm fine." She looked down and noticed Rex and Nia holding hands. The act bothered her tremendously. She also felt guilty about her feelings, which made things worse.

"Let's have a seat here."

The group sat at a small table outside the inn.

"Oh, I packed a little bit of dried meat for you Dromarch," Nia said, pulling out something from her pouch.

"Thank you, my lady."

The rest of the group sliced up the remaining Glitterbake and ate. Pyra used her fire to heat up the Jenerossi Tea for them to drink. It was a pretty slim breakfast; just enough to keep everyone going for the trip to Garfont.

"I wonder how Praxis and Theory are doing with the mercs. I hope they fit in well," Pyra said.

"I'm sure they are doing fine as long as they are together," Mythra replied.

Several Blades were off doing merc missions and called Garfont their home temporarily. There was Azami, Kasandra, Praxis, Theory, Zenobia, Roc, and Nim who all returned from their previous mission. They were on break waiting for their next assignments, making this a perfect time to catch up with them.

After they finished their breakfast, they began making their way to Garfont. The journey would be quite long and would take most of the day. They made sure all their equipment was in shape as they expected to be fighting monsters and occasionally other Drivers along the way.

Nia settled onto Dromarch's back which meant that Pyra could walk next to Rex. She reached out and took Rex's hand on the opposite side of Nia. Seeing that Rex didn't appear to notice the significance of her actions, the group passed under the Fonsa Myma Gate and onto the path to Garfont.

"What about lunch?" Rex asked.

"I've packed some Hot Moonbeam Salad and Addam's Supercakes. I would say we should break for lunch by Yurna the Elderwood," Pyra replied.

"Hold it you small fry! What's a little runt like you doing here? Oh, you have some nice Blades there. It would be a pity if something happened to them," said a menacing voice.

"Oh, come on!" Rex rolled his eyes as he pulled out Pyra's weapon.

"Rolling Smash!"

"Break!"

"Topple em!"

"Flame Nova!"

They quickly subdued the Wrath Driver and sent him running back to Fonsa Myma.

"Why are they so annoying?" Mythra asked.

"Probably because you chose Rex as your Driver. He still looks like a child you know," Nia said.

"I do not!"

"It's okay Rex, I'll protect you from those scary Drivers," Mythra offered, hugging Rex a bit.

"Shall we continue?" Pyra asked.

"Yes let's go Pyra."

They didn't face any other opposition as they continued toward Yurna the Elderwood. This allowed them to arrive there somewhat early.

"I'm not that hungry, but I am tired," Nia mentioned.

"You didn't even walk," Rex noted.

"Oh, I meant Dromarch's tired."

"My lady, I can assure you… yes, I'm tired."

"Let's have a rest then," Pyra suggested.

They all sat down next to the old tree. Pyra and Nia were on each side of Rex, and Mythra sat across them, next to Dromarch.

"Did we all just sit down in a circle?" Mythra asked.

"I guess we tell stories now?" Rex asked.

"What stories do you like anyway?" Pyra asked. "You know I never really had time to find out more about your childhood. We were too busy back then."

"Um, I don't remember much now. I just remember having to make ends meet as a salvager because nobody in Fonsett really had that much money. I wanted to help them."

"Aww, you're so sweet, Rex," Pyra said, blushing slightly.

"Hey Rex, do you remember anything about your parents?" Nia asked.

"No, not really."

"How much do you remember?"

Rex shuffled around uncomfortably and shook his head. A few tears streamed down his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry Rex. We don't have to talk about this," Pyra said, patting Rex on the back.

Nia looked at Pyra but turned away before their eyes met. She took out a handkerchief and handed it to Rex. Rex took it and wiped his face.

"Pyra still has feelings for Rex. I don't want to confront her though. It would make things extremely awkward. Oh, Architect, what do I do?" Nia thought.

"My lady?" Dromarch asked, noticing that his Driver appeared deep in thought.

"It's nothing, Dromarch."

Mythra gave Rex a quick hug and smiled at him. She wasn't exactly great at speaking when it came to comforting others, so she didn't say a word. A few minutes passed before Rex spoke again.

"I'm sorry guys, I have you all now, and I couldn't ask for more."

"It's okay Rex," Mythra said. "I'll admit I wanted to know you more too, but I know it's hard for you to talk about it. Anyways, we're here if you want to tell us one day."

The rest of the group nodded.

"Shall we get going again?" Nia asked.

"Yes, I think we should," Rex agreed.

He felt quite sad that he didn't remember anything about his past. He was happy to be in the present, and that's all he ever thought about. They continued onward until a group of Spiked Urchon suddenly emerged.

Rex and Nia made quick work of the Urchons, having fought them many times. However, the fighting did make them hungry, so they sat down and had lunch, again in a circle.

"Nia, did you remember much about…" Rex suddenly remembered how awful Nia's past was and shook his head.

"Never mind, Nia."

"Rex, it's okay, really. I did tell you about past already though."

"What about you, Mythra?"

"Huh? My past? I was Addam's Blade."

"Anything else?"

"We fought a lot. I'm not that interesting guys."

"Would you rather have an interesting past or a boring one?" Rex asked.

"I would have liked a boring past. It's less of a bother. All our origins are interesting, but they are also super depressing," Nia said.

"We would have never met each other if our pasts were boring," Rex noted though.

"True, I guess we have something to be cheerful about."

"I promise to keep you all close, always, including Zeke, Mòrag, and Tora," Rex declared.

Inside, Pyra and Mythra both cringed. They hated promises; they always managed to end in near catastrophe for them. Mythra promised to save the world, but the Aegis War destroyed continents. Pyra made a promise to Poppi, and then lied to Rex, breaking his heart. Promises weren't always so rosy and happy. You can never guarantee that they will be kept. Still, Rex's heart was in the right place, and Pyra thought that maybe this time, it was going to be a lasting promise.

They finished the Addam's Supercakes that Pyra had prepared, and they were pretty close to Garfont Village. Up ahead, they noticed a familiar face gathering what appeared to be some wild fruit. The orange and green plumage was enough to give him away.

"Roc!" Rex shouted.

"Hi, Rex! It's certainly been a while," Roc replied. "I was beginning to wonder whether you were okay after all that happened at the World Tree."

"See! The Clairvoyant Eye never lies," said another eerily familiar voice. Zeke had left Azami with the mercenaries for a while. Azami was most displeased at this and continually threatened to wander off on her own to find Zeke.

"Oh Rex, why didn't you bring my Driver along?" Azami lamented, noticing that Zeke was missing.

"He's busy doing things in Tantal. I will give Shellhead a stern talking to for neglecting his Blades," Nia scoffed.

"If only you had my luck, you would have seen your Driver sooner," Kasandra teased.

"Your luck is about as nonexistent as my Driver," scoffed Azami.

"Excuse me! Who landed the finishing blows in our last battle? You were off messing with your goofy eye while I did all the heavy lifting."

"Hey hey! Stop fighting you two!" Mythra shouted, pulling the two Dark Blades apart.

"Oh boy, how did you manage with these two?" Rex asked Roc.

"They are never in the same group," Roc replied. "Come, let's head into the village."

As the group entered Garfont Village, their Blades greeted them.

"So nice to see you again, friends," Praxis said.

"Hi Rex and Nia," Theory said.

"Hello everyone," said a gruff voice. Wulfric was lifting a large boulder for exercise.

"Wulfric!" Rex exclaimed.

"Hi, Nia, can you give me harder missions next time?" Zenobia said, blocking their path. She folded her arms, and she looked rather cross.

"Uh, sure, we'll send you off to Temperantia."

"Temperantia is such a joke!"

"Come on Zenobia, just accept the fact you are too strong, and nothing will please you," Mythra said.

"How about I fight you, Mythra?"

"That's not a good idea, she just fought with Brighid," Rex said.

Mythra glared at Rex, causing him to realize his mistake.

"You fought Brighid?! And you didn't invite me?! How dare you?!" Zenobia appeared furious.

Rex tried to calm Zenobia down.

"Come on, Zeno. You don't always have to fight. You should find some other hobbies too. Theory and Praxis like painting with watercolors. Wulfric likes working out. Kasandra fixes all the problems caused by her luck, and Azami does her eye thing."

"Hobby? I don't have time for those."

"My lady, she doesn't look very pleased."

"I know that, Dromarch!"

Rex and Nia looked flabbergasted at their overzealous Blade.

"Zeno, can we figure out a better time to argue about this?" Nia asked.

"Fine!"

"Besides, Rex has delegated the assignments to Roc. You should gripe to him," Mythra said, arms folded. "Now please excuse us!"

"Look, Zeno. I'll talk to Roc later, but we just traveled far and would rather like to take a rest," Rex said.

Zenobia appeared to calm down.

"Oh, sorry guys. I got too caught up there," Zenobia said, cracking a smile for the first time.

She moved out of their way allowing them to take their things to the Inn.

"She's such a handful," Nia said. "One of these days, I'm just going to use an Overdrive Protocol and make her yours, Rex."

"No, Nia, don't you dare."

"Or you could just use me as your Blade, so I don't have to deal with her. You know, you haven't asked me to become a Blade for a while. Why is that?"

Rex froze. He didn't want to tell her that she wasn't exactly the most useful Blade. Yes, healing was helpful, but he preferred allowing Nia to do it on her own using Dromarch.

"I-I prefer to fight alongside you without worrying about the ether stream."

"Oh Rex, you're so sweet. But really, I can fight with your Blade too," Nia said.

"His Blade? Right we are Blades. Nia's a Blade too. Why did I think she was more human than we are? I should be the best person for Rex. I saved his life," Pyra thought.

"Pyra? Mythra? What do you think? Should Rex use me as a Blade more often?"

"I think the choice is Rex's to make," Pyra replies.

"He's our Driver," Mythra said. "It's his call."

"I'm not sure, Nia. As I said, I would rather fight with you and Dromarch."

"Oh, okay."

"Do you prefer being a Blade or a Driver?" Pyra asked.

"They are both fun and interesting. At the end of the day, probably a Driver."

"I see," Pyra said.

"If only I could be a Driver."

"My lady, there are only two rooms available," Dromarch commented after checking in with the front desk.

"Ah, so Rex, you'll likely have to share a room with one of the girls," the Innkeeper said, grinning.

"Ummm…uhhhh…what about Nia?" Rex suggested.

"Jeez Rex, did you completely forget about me?" Pyra thought.

Mythra didn't appear to be too surprised although she did raise her eyebrows slightly.

"Alright, I guess that's settled."

Azami stood outside the inn and used her Clairvoyant Eye to see inside.

"Looks like our little Rex is going to sleep in a room with a girl and he chose Nia…quite surprising and interesting. I would have thought it would be Pyra or Mythra. Anyways, our plan worked. Now onto phase two," she said to Kasandra.

"What's phase two?" Kasandra asked.

"We remove one of the beds in Rex's room."

"Ahhh! I like the way you think, sometimes, Azami."

"Just sometimes, Kassie?"

"I hate it when you call me that!"

"Aw, but it's a cute name."

* * *

The group decided it would be fun to go on a mission with Roc and some of the other mercenaries. It would make up for the time when they were away.

"What are we doing today, Roc?" Rex asked.

"Well, it's mainly a pest control missing. It seems there's a lot of Spiky Urchons that have invaded the areas near our village again. We need to eliminate them again. Also, a bunch of Skeeter nests is causing a nuisance too," Roc said.

Roc joined the group on this mission along with Theory and Praxis, who joined as Nia's Blades.

"Look, there's a cluster there," Pyra noted.

They carefully crept up on one of the Urchons.

"Rolling Smash!" Rex began the battle.

"Sword Bash!"

"Jet Whisperer!"

"Fierce Deluge!"

"Frost Banish!"

Rex looked at Pyra and nodded.

"Here we go! Burning Sword!"

The final attack eliminated the group of Urchon.

"Wow, that was fast," Roc said. "You guys are much stronger since the last time we met."

"Anyways, we have a few more of them to defeat. We're not done yet," Mythra noted.

The group continued towards the Blowhole and ran into a group of Skeeter Nests.

"You know, one Prominence Revolt should do it here; that or a Crushing Twister," Rex said.

"I think you should let Roc fight," Pyra suggested.

"Alright."

"Crushing Twister!"

The attack eliminated all but one nest.

"Oops, almost there," Rex said.

"Ray of Punishment!"

"There we go."

"It's truly amazing how efficient you are, Rex."

"Watch out!" Nia called.

A Spiked Urchon came and stabbed Rex in the arm.

"Owwww!"

"Raging Tiger!" Dromarch said.

"Prominence Revolt!" Pyra followed, killing the Urchon.

"Rex, are you okay? Oh, you're bleeding."

"Let's take him back, I'll get Azami and Kasandra to handle the rest," Roc said.

"I can still fight!" Rex said.

"No, Rex! You are just going to get hurt!" Pyra said snappily at Rex.

She quickly covered her mouth as her rare outburst shocked everyone.

"Sorry Rex, I didn't mean to yell," Pyra muttered.

"If it makes you feel less worried, we can go back."

"Have you forgotten I can heal him?" Nia reminded.

"Heal? Or use it as an excuse to hold his hand and kiss him?" Pyra thought.

"It's a minor wound, Nia. I can take care of it," Pyra said.

"You sure?"

"You can heal him, but I still don't want him continuing!"

"Pyra, why are you acting more like me lately?" Mythra said, arms folded.

"I just want what's best for Rex."

"Me too though, I think healing him and letting him fight is just fine," Nia said.

Nia and Pyra stared each other down until Mythra spoke up.

"I'm sick and tired of this. Rex, why don't you just tell them what you want to do?" Mythra said.

"I guess we can go back since Pyra's worried."

"What? I thought he wanted to fight. What's going on with Rex? That is unlike him. And why is Pyra acting like a control freak? Whatever, let's just do what Rex wants," Nia thought.

"Let's get back to the village before you work on healing him, Nia," Roc suggested.

The group headed back to the village with Pyra wrapping her hand around the wound in Rex's arm. Nia took his other hand and made sure he was stable. The group made it back to Garfont without incident and sat down at the café. While Pyra asked for a mug of Jenerossi Tea, Nia was busy healing Rex. Mythra sat down next to them.

"For an Aegis' Driver, you are kind of a wuss," Mythra said.

"Hey, Mythra! I could keep fighting, but Pyra kept insisting on coming back."

"You didn't have to listen to her."

"Hey, Mythra, can't you just let him rest?" Nia scolded.

"Fine, that doesn't make him less of a wuss."

"Stop calling him a wuss! He did it for me, Pyra the worrywart," Pyra said.

"At least she admits it," Mythra said.

"Wow, you girls are chippy today," Rex commented.

"Shut up!" Mythra said, walking back to the inn.

"Hey Mythra, aren't we going to have dinner first? It's not the time to go to bed yet."

"Nah, dinner can wait."

"Hey Rex, can you and I have a chat?" Pyra asked.

"What is this about?" Nia thought.

"In private, Nia do you mind? This is between a Blade and her Driver." Pyra said.

"Okay, sounds important, I'll just chill here," Nia thought. She nodded.

Rex followed Pyra into the Inn.

"Hi Rex, how are you feeling?"

"Uhhhh…good. You were just with me. You know that."

"How's your arm?" Pyra continued.

"Fine, what is this about, Pyra?"

Without another word, Pyra grabbed Rex and kissed him.

"Whoa! Pyra…that was unexpected!"

"I love you, Rex. I wanted you and Nia to be together, but I felt wrong thinking that. We are meant to be together, Rex."

"But, won't this hurt Nia?"

"I'm an Aegis. I saved you. Isn't that a sign we are meant to be?"

"Pyra, why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"Because I was afraid, I didn't want to upset Nia!"

She grabbed Rex and kissed him again. Unfortunately, Rex saw Nia standing right there.

"Pyra!"

Pyra turned to face Nia, her face bright red. Nia did not look much better.

"Rex, Pyra, what are you?" she looked like she was about to cry.

"Nia, I swear I wasn't the one…"

"Damn you Rex!" she said, smacking him hard in the face.

"We were supposed to be together! But no! Everything is just Pyra Pyra Pyra!"

"Nia I…l"

"And you, Pyra, you're a damn liar. All that talk about me being the best person for him, that was all fake wasn't it?! You set me up to stab me in the back! Why did I even bother coming back home with you guys?!" Nia sobbed as she ran out of the inn. Rex fell to his knees.

"Pyra, what have I done? What have you done to me?!"

"I'm sorry…Rex…I shouldn't have…I, just…I better go Rex."

"Where are you going?"

Pyra didn't respond, merely walking out of the inn as well. She appeared to go the opposite direction of Nia.

"Pyraaaa! Niaaaa!" Rex said from his knees.

Outside, Mythra saw Nia run off sobbing, and Pyra run the opposite direction.

"What in the Architect's name!? Pyra? What did you do? Where's Rex?"

"Leave me alone Mythra!" she said, running.

Mythra suspected Pyra had done something to upset Nia. She immediately ran into the inn and saw Rex in the hallway, hands buried in his face.

"Rex! Rex! What happened?" Mythra asked as she knelt next to him.

"Pyra, Nia…gone…"

Mythra realized this was not a time to be snarky and she instead held out her hand.

"Rex. Come on, get up. Let's go into the room, and we can talk."

He opened his eyes and reached for Mythra's hand. She helped him up and led him into her room.

"Hey Rex, come on, what happened?"

"Pyra started kissing me out of the blue and Nia saw it all. Now Nia hates Pyra and me. Pyra walked out without telling me anything! It all happened so fast."

"Oh, Rex…" Mythra said, hugging him tightly.

Rex ended up wiping some of his tears on Mythra's clothes, but for once, she did not care.

"Girl stuff is complicated. That's sort of why I stayed above the fray or tried to at least. That does not mean I don't have feelings for you too."

"Oh Architect! You too! I can't choose between any of you, but you girls all want me to. Why is this so complicated?!"

Mythra smiled and hugged Rex again.

"I could make it simple. Just choose me because I'm the best out of all of us anyway."

"I don't think they would like that. Will they ever talk to each other again?"

"Rex, we've been through so much together. They will eventually warm back up to each other. I can't say how long it will take. At the end of the day, we are all your Blades, and you could order us all to apologize to each other, but I know you aren't that type of Driver."

"So, what do I do?"

"You can't force them to talk to each other overnight. So right now, give them time and space just like you gave me. I would see if you can book a third room, so they can have rooms to themselves."

Mythra took Rex to see the innkeeper, and they were able to book a third single room allowing Pyra and Nia separate rooms. At that moment, Rex's stomach began growling.

"Sorry Mythra, I'm hungry now."

"Let's go get some dinner."

"What about the others?"

"I would just let them eat when they wish."

* * *

Azami's Clairvoyant Eye twitched as she recoiled from what she just saw.

"This doesn't make any sense! One minute they are all happy together and the next they are all gone. At least Rex still has Mythra," Azami sighed.

"Azami, your plan failed," Kasandra teased.

"Shut up, Kassie. It failed because of your terrible luck!"

"My luck? I'm the luckiest Blade in existence!"

"So this is all your fault?" Praxis said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh how dare you manipulate our friends, Azami," Theory added.

"Hey, I was just trying to make Rex's love life work out! It's not my fault he has too many lovers!"

"Forget it Azami, just stop before Rex loses all of his lovers!" Praxis demanded.

"Fine, Praxy, I'll stop!"

The two sisters stomped away, fuming at Azami's mind games.

"Why are they blaming me, Kassie? This is your fault!"

"Hmph, I'm done here," Kasandra said, walking away with Praxis and Theory.

The three of them decided to join Rex and Mythra for dinner. Food was pretty simple at Garfont as there wasn't a local butcher shop. Fortunately for them, Vess had made a large batch of dumplings earlier and taught the villagers how to make them as well.

Vess herself was on a mission.

"Hey Kasandra, Theory, and Praxis," Mythra said.

"How's Rex doing?" Praxis asked.

"I doubt he's in a talking mood, sis," Theory said.

Kasandra was about to say something, but suddenly the skies opened up with an intense thunderstorm. The group was under a tent.

"Oh no! Where's Pyra?! It's raining!" Rex said.

"Don't worry, Pyra and Nia went into their separate rooms, noted the café owner."

"Huh? Without eating?"

"They grabbed some dumplings."

"Together?"

"No, they deliberately avoided each other."

"I see, now Kasandra, can you make this rain go away?"

"Umm…Praxis, aren't you the water expert?" Kasandra nudged Praxis.

"But my Driver is stuck in a room."

"Rex can be your temporary Driver."

Rex stood up and began channeling an ether stream with Praxis. It was much weaker as Rex never resonated with Praxis. Nevertheless, Praxis was able to use her water mastery to calm the rains.

"Why is your luck so bad, Kasandra?" Rex asked.

"Why does everyone think every bad thing that happens is my fault?!"

"Sorry, Kasandra, I didn't mean it like that," Rex said.

"Sure you didn't, Rex," Mythra interrupted.

"Well, regardless of your luck, you are still part of this family," Rex said.

"How sweet, Rex. You're lucky to have such a nice Driver, Mythra."

Mythra blushed as she heard this. Their conversation ended there for the most part as the party dug into their dumplings. They finished them in a few minutes. Rex yawned at the end.

"I'm quite tired."

"Should we head to the room?" Mythra asked.

"Yeah, I guess so, it's pretty dark."

"I'll protect you from the scary dark."

Mythra and Rex went back into the inn and directly into Rex's room. There was no sign of Nia or Pyra at all.

* * *

Nia was no longer sobbing, but she still felt upset that Pyra would just jump in and try to, in her mind, steal Rex back.

Still, as she got into her bed, she began to ponder the situation.

"Pyra is never going away, that's a fact. Rex would do anything for her. I love Rex though. I can't see myself going away either. Oh, this is so difficult! We all love Rex!"

She got up out of her bed and walked over to the washroom. She washed her face.

"My lady, are you alright?" Dromarch asked.

"I'm fine, Dromarch. You don't have to ask me every five minutes," she replied with a hint of being annoyed in her voice.

"Alright, my lady."

Nia went back to bed and continued to lay awake, staring at the stars out the window.

"Gah, Rex wants all three of us, that greedy bastard." Nia thought.

"Although that may have to be the case. He's still too young to marry by Leftherian customs anyway."

All this thinking did eventually exhaust Nia, and she was in a deep slumber a few minutes later.

* * *

Pyra sat at a small desk in her room, also deep in thought.

"I love Rex, but I shouldn't have done that to hurt Nia. I lost control. I am such a terrible partner for Rex. Yet, he's still probably worrying about me. That's just like Rex," she thought.

"Oh Architect, maybe it was a curse to bring us back to Rex. He would be better off without…no wait, if I disappear, he would be so devastated."

She got up from her desk and went to bed. Her last thoughts were bouncing around inside her head.

"He still has Mythra. If I just disappear. But wait, we come from the same core crystal, and this could make Mythra disappear too. This is so complex. Rex is going to have to have all three of us. Ugh...if only I kept my feelings to myself!"

* * *

"Rex, there's only one bed in this room," Mythra observed.

"You can have it I guess," Rex said.

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I'll sleep on the floor I guess."

"I mean I'm already in a room with a dirty little pervert. Is he suddenly scared of me?"

"That was one incident, and you were quite scary, throwing things and everything!"

"Come on, Rex, sleep on a bed. It's big enough for both of us. Oh, but shower first," Mythra said.

After both of them cleaned themselves up, Mythra brushed her hair for a while. Meanwhile, Rex was already lying down. Mythra joined him minutes later.

"Alright, no funny business, Rex!"

"Do you think they'll be okay?"

"Huh? Oh, Rex, you are killing the mood with your constant worrying!"

"I'm sorry."

"Rex, being a crybaby isn't going to fix the problem."

"Huh? You calling me a crybaby?"

Mythra smiled.

"I don't mean that in a derogatory way. You care a little too much about all of us, and you take everything that goes wrong very hard. It's just you. You love all of us. You can't choose which one of us to love more. It must be hard."

Mythra saw right into Rex's heart, which made Rex tear up a little again.

"Oh don't start crying again, Rex!"

"Sorry, Mythra."

"To put it simply, you don't want to choose any of us if you can't choose us all."

"Why do I even have to choose?"

"Oh Rex, it's just custom and how things are in Alrest."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know the answer to that. You should probably speak with Corinne and Azurda about that. They know you better than I do, even though we've been on this journey together."

Rex yawned again, so the two of them stopped talking. Soon he was asleep, and Mythra put her hand softly against his cheek.

"Rex, I would be lying if I said I loved you as a sister."

She leaned over a kissed him on the forehead and fell asleep.

* * *

 **I hope this didn't all seem forced. I read some of the reviews and tried to incorporate feedback without compromising my voice and style. Anyways, I truly appreciate all the reviews and encouragement, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll look forward to writing the next one for sure!**


	4. Relationship Advice

**New Game+ has arrived…NOT! I was anticipating playing through it just to get the Torna Blades, as much as I hate that it collides with the story. I hope there aren't any more delays after this one.  
**

 **Anyways, the real final boss is sitting through the ending credits and listening to "One Last You" without shedding any tears. Best of luck to those doing NG+ runs once it's out.**

* * *

 **Often relationships are complicated, but when love is involved, it can be otherworldly. Sometimes one has to turn to friends and family to seek advice in the midst of all the chaos.**

* * *

The journey back to Leftheria was an awkward one. Pyra and Nia barely acknowledged each other's existence, often forcing Rex to rely on Mythra as his Blade. As much as he would like the girls to work together, their relationships were strained tremendously, and he did not want to get between them.

Arriving back at Leftheria, they made for Corinne's house.

"Welcome home!" Corinne said. She looked at Pyra and Nia and then to Rex. Immediately she sensed something entirely wrong as Pyra and Nia barely looked up.

"Hello Corinne," Mythra replied.

"Hi Aunt Corinne," Rex murmured.

"We should go unpack," Pyra said.

As the rest of them unpacked, Mythra pulled Corinne aside to fill her in on the awkward situation.

"Hi Corinne, Rex ran into a bit of girl trouble."

"Huh? Is he seeing someone else?" Corinne said.

"No no, it's rather that Nia's quite upset with Pyra for…umm… taking Rex for herself."

Corinne's eyes grew wide.

"All three of you are interested in him?"

"Sure, you could say that."

"I see, has he chosen any one of you?"

"No, Rex is never going to be able to make a decision. He doesn't want to hurt anyone."

"Hmm, this is quite a predicament. However, historical records do mention Driver not just marrying their Blade, but marrying multiple Blades. It may not be a terrible idea and might make his love life more harmonious."

"Huh? Drivers don't do that today though. Rex would feel extremely out of place. Anyways, Pyra and Nia are probably going to need separate rooms."

"I hope those two are okay. But Rex… he's the Driver of an Aegis. I'll bet he already feels out of place. He's your Driver. You are all his Blades. He sees you a much more than Blades, and you all see him as much more than just a Driver. You all love him. If what you believe is true, that The Architect brought you back to Alrest to keep Rex from becoming devastated, it's only sensible he intended for all of you to be happy. Fighting over who should get Rex certainly isn't what the Architect wants. So I ask, why not let Rex marry all of you? He saved the world; nobody is going to blame him. The world has seen his deeds, and they know his heart. His relationship with you three, nobody has seen anything like it for over 500 years. So, what do you think about that?"

"I think Pyra and Nia will be fine, Corinne. And uh, that is a heavy topic, and that's a not something we can discuss when Nia and Pyra are ignoring each other. I think you are right. Rex, when I told him that I needed to use Aion to save the world, that I had to sacrifice myself to do it…he was literally sobbing. I held my tears, knowing that showing too much emotion could make me change my mind about saving the world. Don't ever tell him this, but after I launched their escape pod from inside Aion, I lost it for the first time. I was sobbing harder than Rex. The last thing on my mind was how much I would miss seeing him as I cried. I was shocked that I saw him again and it was the happiest moment in my life. I can say with full confidence that Pyra had the same feelings. You know, most Drivers would likely abandon their Blades if things got tough. Rex recklessly rushes in to save them. Anyways, don't ever tell Rex I cried."

"I won't; your secret is safe. Eventually, you should open up to Rex a bit more. I know that's not you; Pyra's better at that. Still, I still think your love for him will enable you to overcome that. As for waiting to discuss this with Rex, I say fair enough, but don't wait too long," Corinne said. She paused and then remembered that she needed to mention something else.

"By the way, Zeke is here. He wanted to take Rex on a trip to explore the solid land near Genbu. The land much warmer than the titan and Tantal wants to claim that land. He referred to that new land as Elysium."

"Oh? I don't think Nia and Pyra are in an exploring mood."

"You could go with him and perhaps talk to him about what we just talked about."

"I guess. I'm not as good at taking care of him, not as good as Pyra. I can't even cook. Rex might hate me."

"That's nonsense; you did plenty well seeing him through your journey together! I don't think Rex is capable of much hate. You said it yourself; he wished that Malos and Jin would come to their senses rather than die. I would give it a chance."

Rex overheard this and made his way over.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"Zeke wants to go explore Elysium with you," Corinne said.

"Elysium?" Rex asked, looking a bit confused.

"You know, the new hunk of land? I think Zeke's decided to name it just for you," Mythra remarked.

"Oh, but what about Pyra and Nia?"

"They might need some time to cool their heads. Maybe you should recall some blades out on Merc Missions," Mythra suggested.

"Okay? Who do you suggest?"

Mythra thought for a moment.

"Zeke has Pandoria, Azami, and Nim. You have me; I guess Wulfric and Roc would make decent companions. You have a strong affinity with them."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. I could have guessed that."

"Also no other girls that could further complicate your love life," Mythra joked.

"Jeez, Mythra, Corinne's right here," Rex said, turning a little red.

"It's okay, Rex. I'm not going to tell the whole world," Corrine said.

Corinne noted the empty pot on the stove.

"Goodness, you all must be hungry."

"You don't need to worry. We already had dinner before we got home. We figured we'd take care of that since we'd be home late into the night."

"Oh alright, next time."

* * *

As Pyra settled into her room, she realized that she had accidentally grabbed one of Nia's suitcases. She needed to return it to Nia, but she resolved to avoid talking to her due to the conflict that could happen. She tiptoed outside and saw Rex and Mythra talking to Corinne. She walked the suitcase over to Rex.

"Umm…Rex…this is Nia's, could you bring it to her?" Pyra said.

Rex looked at Pyra awkwardly, openly expressing that he wasn't comfortable with the fact that two of his Blades didn't even want to see each other. Mythra gently nudged him with her elbow, indicating he should just help Pyra.

"Sure Pyra."

"Umm…thanks Rex." Pyra immediately turned away and almost ran back to her room.

"Jeez…"

"Rex, just do whatever you can to help Pyra and Nia. You don't want them to fall back into conflict because they see each other when they aren't ready," Mythra advised.

Rex carried the suitcase to Nia's room and knocked. Mythra snuck close behind.

"What do you want, Rex?" Nia said, apparently still a bit upset.

"Don't mention Pyra, just say you are bringing her suitcase back," Mythra whispered.

"I brought your suitcase. It looks like it was almost forgotten."

Mythra hid in Rex's room across the hall and peered through the cracked door. Nia opened the door to her room and took her suitcase from Rex. The two made eye contact for a little while, and Nia nodded at Rex as a gesture of thanks. She then took the suitcase back into her room and shut the door again.

"She's looking a bit better," Mythra acknowledged.

"Tomorrow morning, you should tell them you are leaving for Tantal to meet Zeke," Corinne said. "You don't want to surprise them with your absence."

"Yes, of course."

"You ready to sleep, Rex?" Mythra asked.

"Sure Mythra."

The two of them tiptoed back to their room but were stopped by Dromarch.

"My lady is not too emotionally well. She doesn't appear to like me sleeping in her room right now as she closed the door before I had a chance to enter. I don't want to wake her. Could I perhaps sleep in your room, Rex?"

Rex looked at Mythra. She looked back, sighed and nodded.

"Fine, Dromarch, don't snore though," Mythra replied.

"I don't snore."

Rex and Mythra shared a bed again although they didn't engage in any small talk, not wanting Dromarch to hear. Still, Dromarch's wisdom sniffed out that they weren't talking because of his presence.

"Surely they expect me to believe they have no romantic feelings for each other but sharing a bed is pretty obvious," Dromarch thought. "Ah well, my lady is going to have to sort through this predicament on her own. Relationships aren't my forte."

Rex peeked at Dromarch and looked at Mythra who shifted extremely close to him. Moments later, she wrapped herself around Rex's arm while she slept. He was now trapped.

"Ugh, I hope Dromarch does not wake up. I don't need Nia finding out about this either, he thought."

Mythra scooted even further and wrapped her other arm around Rex. Rex grew drowsy though and fell asleep without much further thought. Unfortunately for him, his regular nightmare began again except for a slight difference.

"Mythraaaaa! Mythraaaaa!" he shouted, and the entire room awoke. Dromarch sat up and caught a glimpse of Mythra's arm wrapped around Rex before Mythra woke up.

"Rex! What is all this noise!?" Mythra scolded. She then looked at Rex who had a look of fear in his eyes and knew what it was.

"Rex, did it happen again?" Mythra said in a much gentler tone.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I don't think I'll ever get over this even though I wake up and you and Pyra are still here."

"You shouted my name this time."

"I-I did?"

"Yes, you did," Dromarch interrupted.

"Y-you saw the whole thing?" Rex asked nervously.

"I am afraid so, but do not worry, I shall not tell my lady for I fear it will further depress her mood."

Mythra reached over and hugged Rex, still awkwardly as Mythra wasn't naturally good at hugging.

"Rex, you're okay. I'm here. Don't be such a crybaby."

"I just can't stop myself from having these nightmares."

"I can't stop thinking about you either."

"Mythra?"

"Just everything about you. I can't stop myself. I think something's just begun. Just tell me why I will think about you all this time?"

"Mythra, I love you, but it's hard because I love everyone else too."

"Maybe you don't have to choose one of us. You saved the world; nobody can say anything against you for your choices."

"Hmm…maybe…"

The two stayed quiet afterward and fell asleep again. Dromarch also fell asleep after listening Mythra's entire confession.

"Indeed, he's gotten much closer to Mythra. This is most intriguing. Weeks ago Mythra and Rex were arguing. Now they are lovebirds. Ancient Wisdom fails to understand this conundrum," he thought right before he fell into his slumber.

* * *

The next morning, Pyra made breakfast as usual. She didn't appear to say much though, and Corinne noticed that Pyra wasn't her usual self.

"Pyra, something's bothering you. I can tell. Do you want to talk?" Corinne asked.

Pyra didn't say anything.

"Hello, Pyra?"

"It's Rex," she said.

"Did he do something to upset you?"

Pyra looked shocked. "No, no Rex didn't do anything wrong. I did. Nia and Rex were together, and I tore them apart. I love Rex; she does too."

"Pyra, Rex doesn't have to have one of you."

"I-I know, but it seems like most relationships are that way."

"Pyra, Rex did save the world. I doubt the world cares."

"I know, but I'm still not sure if Nia's okay with that."

"It might take some time."

Rex and Mythra emerged from their room with Dromarch.

"Rex, Mythra…and Dromarch?" Pyra said, looking confused.

"Nia forgot about Dromarch, so he slept in our room," Mythra said. The three of them sat around the table.

"Is Nia awake?" Rex asked.

"I didn't see her," Pyra said.

There was a squeak from the door to her room as she slowly opened it. It creaked loudly, so everybody turned to look. Nia emerged groggily and went into the dining room.

"Nia?"

She looked up at Rex. "Morning."

"Morning, Nia."

"Well don't just sit there and stare. There's food on the table. You're such a child sometimes," Nia quipped.

Rex smiled a bit. "The old Nia is nearly back…or is she still mad at me? I can't tell sometimes," he thought.

"Oh there's something I have to tell you all, Zeke wants me to explore the new land with him. I know you are all tired so you don't have to go with me," Rex began.

Pyra sighed. "Rex, you're all over the place. Can't you just relax for one day?"

"I could, but I want to see Zeke."

"Well, I'm quite tired, so I think I'll stay here," Pyra said.

"Nia?"

"Go on your little adventure. I'm not interested," Nia said.

"Yep she's mad still," Rex thought.

"Is it okay if Mythra comes with me?"

The girls looked at each other and shrugged.

"She can go if she wants to. I can stick around and help Corinne with whatever she needs. We've left her alone for quite a long time," Pyra said.

"Oh, Pyra. I've still got all the children here. I managed when Rex spends much of his time salvaging. I do admit that it is nice to have other people in the house though. Anyways, Zeke will be arriving at Rigette Harbor soon. You should leave after breakfast," Corinne suggested.

"Hurry up Rex!" Mythra said. "You're so slow sometimes!"

"Alright, sorry Mythra."

"A few minutes later, they were gone."

Pyra and Nia looked at each other.

"Hey Nia, I wanted to say…"

"I'm sorry Pyra," Nia said first.

"What was that Nia?"

"I'm sorry for judging you quickly. I had thought that you intentionally lied to me when you said I was the best person for Rex. I thought you were stealing Rex back for yourself."

"Nia…I wanted to apologize too. I think it's hard for us. All three of us love Rex and Rex loves all of us too. It would be unfair if we forced him to choose one of us when he deserves to love and be loved by every one of us. It's going to be different than other relationships, but remember, he saved the world with us and nothing changes that fact. Surely the world won't blame him for wanting to be with all of us."

"If they do, we'll bust them up real good! I agree. I think we should talk to Rex."

"That is a good idea. I'm glad you two are getting along again," Corinne said.

"Too bad Rex is off with Mythra. I bet he's enjoying his time with that girl."

"Maybe we can have our own adventure," Pyra suggested.

"Where?"

"How about we go visit Gormott?"

"That sounds like a decent idea."

"We can see Tora!"

"Sure, but we are kind of useless without our Driver."

Pyra thought for a second.

"How many Overdrive Protocols do we have?" Pyra asked.

"We have a ton."

"Why don't you use one and then you can be my Driver?"

"That's a great idea!"

* * *

"Hello, Chum!" Zeke said. "Hey, where are the other girls?"

"They wanted to take a break."

"Really? Are you sure you didn't piss them off?"

"Well, …it's complicated."

"Come aboard the ship, tell me all about it."

"He just wants an update on your love life," Pandoria said.

"No! Pandy! I just want to catch up with Chum!"

"Uh huh, a likely story…" Mythra said, folding her arms.

The two boarded the ship and made their way below deck as it was quite windy. There were several armchairs and an oval coffee table where they could sit. Zeke took a seat in one and invited Rex and Mythra to sit.

"Chum! Let's talk about this love life of yours."

"Didn't you just say that you weren't here to ask about that?" Pandoria asked.

"Ugh, that's private information," Mythra scolded.

"Well, I won't talk about it if Mythra doesn't want me to."

"Chum! What happened? You are whipped now!"

"Oh, for the Architect's sake! You tell him whatever you want to, Rex! I don't want Zeke to get the wrong idea."

"Huh? What's 'whipped' mean?"

"Don't you worry about that," Mythra said.

"Okay, well I love Pyra and Mythra and Nia."

"You haven't changed one bit, Rex."

"But it's not exactly going too well. Pyra and Nia got into a fight about it."

Zeke nearly fell out of his seat.

"What? Are they fighting? Over you?"

"I guess so."

"You're a lucky boy, Rex. All I have is Turters."

"Hey! I'm right here!" Pandoria exclaimed.

"He also has Morag," blurted Mythra.

An audible gasp came from Rex and Pandoria. Pandoria then smiled while the look of horror spread across Zeke's face.

"Step one of getting my Driver married, complete!" she said.

"Hey! That's supposed to be a secret."

"I think you and Mòrag would make a great pair," Rex said.

"Yeah, she's smart and reserved, and you're goofy and outgoing. Perfect!" Mythra said.

"Alright, back to what I was asking, so they are fighting over you. Why?"

"Well, Nia and Rex were going to spend the night together, but Pyra had other ideas. It doesn't matter, he's chosen me now, anyways," Mythra said.

"If only I could choose all three of you."

"Didn't Addam call you a greedy bastard? You might as well live up to that," Zeke said jokingly.

"He didn't use those exact words, but yes."

"Then do it, you love them all, they all love you."

"But I'm still the best one anyways," Mythra retorted.

"Why do you say that?"

"I can protect Rex from the scary dark!"

"I think I can manage on that one," Rex replied.

"You sure, you know when you sleep…" Mythra began. She then looked at Rex who seemed to give a pained stare. "Ughhh, I am such a jerk!" Mythra thought.

"Never mind, we should talk about something else," Mythra muttered.

"Thank you," Rex mouthed when Zeke wasn't looking.

"The point is, I don't think the world will care that you decide to be with all three girls. You be yourself," Zeke said.

The ship abruptly came to a stop.

"Huh? What's going on?" Zeke said. "Rex, let's go above deck to check it out."

Rex's other Blades had not arrived yet as they were to meet him at Tantal. Thus, he could only fight with Mythra. Zeke had brought Pandoria, Azami, and Nim along.

"There is definitely a few Lexos out there. Let's take them out," Azami said.

"Overloaded Thunder Beam!"

"Sword Bash!"

"Ultra lightning fury slash max!"

"Ray of Punishment!"

"Anchor shot!"

Without taking much more damage, they easily overpowered the Lexos.

"No way, we were awesome! Huh? Mythra? Pandoria? Where'd they go?"

Mythra and Pandoria disappeared into a room to talk privately.

"I think they have some girly talk," Zeke said.

* * *

"Does Zeke getting with Mòrag upset you in any way?" Mythra asked.

"Well, I don't think so. I'm his Blade. Zeke and I share a core crystal so we will always be together, but I can't find myself bothered by his desire for human companionship as well. It just seems natural for him, and I don't want to hold him back."

"I see…I was just wondering if you could relate to the situation with Rex."

"I don't have the same feelings for Zeke. I love him to death, but not in that way."

"So you are okay with him seeing Mòrag?"

"Absolutely."

"Has he confessed to Mòrag yet?"

"Not that I know of, and I don't know if Mòrag will accept. It's hard to read her feelings."

"Does Mòrag like him back?"

"She dreams about him."

"Really?"

"Yeah, the other day, she was murmuring in her sleep."

"What? Now, this I have to hear."

"She was saying Zeke's name over and over again. But the next day, she didn't seem any closer to him. Again, she's confusing to me."

"Maybe she just doesn't consciously realize it."

"Maybe, perhaps we should help them out."

"How?"

"Faked Love letters!"

"You're not serious, Pandoria!"

"I'm dead serious!" Pandoria said with a grin on her face.

"What about that creep, Azami?" Mythra asked.

"Oh her…umm…I don't know. She's going to be angry."

"Yeah, don't worry, my light magic will keep her from doing anything too drastic."

"Good thinking!"

* * *

The ship started moving toward Genbu Port and soon docked there. Roc and Wulfric were waiting for Rex as they arrived.

"Hello, guys!"

"Hi Rex," Wulfric said in his gruff voice.

The group turned to see a lush grassland next to their snowy port.

"That's Elysium?"

"Yes, sir! Doesn't it look amazing!"

"Are there monsters there?"

"I don't think there have been reports of monsters other than ones that have migrated from the Titans. Tantal needs us to stake a land claim. I've got the Tantalese flag here so we can plot it in a safe location where it'll be visible. The agreement is we get a chunk of land the size of Genbu from each direction of the flag. Elysium is rather big so we can do that and allow every kingdom to have more than enough land. The Ardanians have already claimed a chunk on the other side of this land."

"Alright let's set off."

* * *

"I'm still not sure about the plan with Rex and all three of us," Nia said as she began packing with Pyra for their little adventure.

"Why?" Pyra asked.

"What if Rex grows up and decides on one of us?"

"I don't think Rex would do that."

"He might not right now, but societal pressures may try to force him."

"I doubt he would bend to that pressure. He's never followed norms. If he did, he would not have gone to save the world."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Pyra thought for a moment.

"Maybe I should find a way to combine myself with Mythra and become Pneuma again."

"Why? Rex loves you and Mythra."

"It will make it less difficult."

"How?"

"I thought two of us would make Rex's life less complicated."

"I don't know if that's a good idea. He's known you as two people."

Pyra sighed. "I guess you're right. Let's keep packing for our adventure."

The two of them returned to picking clothing to bring along with them.

* * *

"Rex! We need your salvaging arm to pull us up this ledge," Zeke said.

The two were at the foot of a small cliff. They wanted to ascend to the top to get a good view of their land. On the cliff were large trees.

"I don't think I can. Remember I tried to pull Pyra?" Rex asked.

"Are you saying I'm heavier than Pyra? Maybe is because I'm so buff."

"I don't know; maybe it's because you're dense," Pandoria said.

"Hey! What was that?!"

"Just some banter."

"No that!"

"Looks like a rampaging Sauros is tearing up that forest over there."

The two crept over to the Sauros and began their assault.

"Chaaaarge!" Rex shouted.

"Rolling Smash!"

"Ultra lightning fury slash!"

"Lightning force!"

"Brutal Lance!"

"It's not doing anything! This guy is strong," Zeke said.

"Come on! Let's keep it up," Rex said. The Sauros tail whipped them, and both of them were toppled.

"Ugh!"

"Let me take over!" Mythra shouted, jumping in for Wulfric.

"Anchor shot!" Rex finally got up along with Zeke.

"Ray of Punishment!"

"Overloaded thunder beam!"

"Termination blast!"

The Sauros grew more agitated and stomped about, knocking Rex backward. He got up quickly and charged, but right into a Dino Tail. He fell over and didn't move. Zeke unleashed a Hellbound attack which was enough to injure the Sauros, so it ran away. However, he turned his attention to Rex, who was already being tended to by his Blades.

"Rex! Get up!" Mythra shouted, with a hint of desperation.

Rex turned and looked at Mythra. "I'm awake, but I think I might be wounded." He sat up and then tugged at his right arm.

"Yep, his arm is bleeding," Roc noted. "Let me go look for help!"

Roc flew high in the air and noticed a small group of Ardanian forces was just north of the area.

"Ardanians are in the area!" Roc informed them. "Due north!"

Mythra picked Rex up.

"Ugh, you're so heavy Rex," Mythra said, grinning.

"I'm sorry I called you heavy, alright! I violated the Salvagers' Code when I did that."

"You better be, Rex!"

"I can walk you know."

Zeke motioned to Rex and whispered.

"Enjoy the moment, Rex," he said.

The group met up with the Ardainians who agreed to provide transport to Torigoth.

"Also, do you mind sending word to Mòrag?" Zeke asked.

"Sure, we'll get the word out to the Special Inquisitor," a soldier said.

"I'm sure we all know what your intention there was," Mythra scoffed.

"Hey! I'm doing it out of concern for Rex. His friends in Leftheria ought to know that he's hurt, but recovering."

"Thanks, Zeke," Rex said.

"Don't encourage him, Rex. I will drop you," Mythra threatened.

She carried him onto the Ardanian vessel and into the medical room. The Ardanian doctor checked out his arm.

"Can you raise it?"

Rex raised his arm unassisted, but it felt a bit painful.

"It looks like a sprain; you should wear a sling for protection though. I wouldn't go fighting until it's healed. Take it easy."

"Yeah, Rex, stop trying to be a hero all the time," Mythra retorted.

"Fine, I'll take a break."

An Ardanian soldier walked over to Zeke.

"So we know you are staking a land claim. We have not claimed the land above that cliff, so it's free for you guys; as a part of the peace treaty, we have claimed the maximum land we are allowed."

"Alright, so I'll go plant the flag of Tantal there."

Rex got up out of bed after the doctor fitted him with a sling. The soldiers then led Mythra and him to the location of their accommodations.

"You guys want the same room? You are Blade and Driver."

"Yes," Rex said without hesitation. His boldness didn't catch Mythra off guard much.

"Well, there's his courage again," Mythra thought, laughing to herself.

"What about your other Blades?"

Rex almost forgot about Roc and Wulfric. "Uhhh…maybe we need a bigger room?"

"There are two rooms that are connected. I suppose you can have that."

Mythra laughed again. "Love is driving him a little mad now."

* * *

Mòrag arrived in Leftheria via the port in Fonsett Waters. She had brought along Aegeon and Brighid.

The three of them raced toward Fonsett Village and knocked on Corinne's door. Pyra answered the door.

"Mòrag, what a pleasant surprise."

"Hello Pyra, I come on less pleasant terms. Rex got injured in battle, and he's on an Ardanian ship bound for Torigoth. I'm told he's doing fine and not injured in a life-threatening way, but we should probably go see him."

"What's all this commotion?" Nia said.

"Rex is hurt. He's okay and en route to Torigoth."

"Whaaaat? Well, don't just stand there. Let's go and make sure!"

The two grabbed their suitcases that were packed originally for their adventures, filled Corinne in on the situation, and left with Mòrag.


	5. Ready or Gormotti?

**Update: I have changed my pen name to LeftherianSalvager.**

* * *

Pyra and Nia were both asleep aboard the ship to Gormott. Mòrag stayed awake on the ship's communication deck. She waited for any news on Rex should circumstances change. Brighid seemed concerned that the Special Inquisitor was sacrificing her sleep. She took a seat next to Mòrag who sat next to a ship communications device. The green letters on the screen indicated there were no new messages incoming for this ship. Messages intended for other vessels scrolled across the screen. They weren't broadcast messages, so the radio remained quiet. Brighid turned to Mòrag who looked tired.

"Lady Mòrag, you ought to get some sleep," she said.

"I'm fine, just worried about Rex," she replied.

"It's just a sprain; I don't know if you need to be so worried about Rex. He has been through far worse."

"I guess. Although I'm also worried about Zeke. He has the worst of luck and perhaps claiming the land by himself will put him in danger."

"He's with Ardanian troops."

"Hopefully they don't get caught up in his bad luck too."

The two of them laughed. The racket appeared to awaken the other two girls and Dromarch.

"Must you be so loud?" Nia said. "I had a nice catnap too."

"What's wrong, Mòrag?" Pyra asked.

"Nothing, I was just having some trouble sleeping."

"Hmm?"

"I was worried about Zeke and Rex."

"But mostly Zeke," Brighid interrupted.

"Is there something going on between you and Zeke?" Nia asked.

Mòrag blushed. "N-nothing is going on between us."

"A likely story…" Nia folded her arms.

"You know, they would make a cute couple," Pyra noted. Brighid smiled and nodded in agreement.

"No, it's not like that!"

"You sound like Rex. Anyways, if you have to say that, it usually means it's like that," Nia teased.

"My lady, I don't think the Special Inquisitor is fond of that suggestion," Dromarch observed.

"I think we should drop this subject," Mòrag said, exasperated.

"Fiiiine," Nia said.

* * *

Rex awoke next to Mythra. She had her arms wrapped around him so he couldn't move without waking her. Zeke was also awake, and he went into Rex's room.

"Whoa!" he said, and quickly covered his mouth.

"Hello, Chum!"

"Uhhh…Zeke, can't you see I'm occupied? You can't just walk into a room without knocking."

"Did you and Mythra do anything last night?"

"What? No. We slept."

"Uh huh… sure thing Chum," Zeke said.

"I'm stuck here until she wakes up."

"Enjoy it, Chum!" Zeke replied, leaving the room.

"Wait! Zeke!" Rex said, but he was too late.

Mythra eventually woke up and looked into Rex's eyes, smiling.

"Hey Rex," she said softly.

"Oh, hi Mythra."

"I've got something to tell you," she said, sitting up.

"Go on…"

"You might not like this."

"Whaaat?"

"The Architect, he only intended on bringing one of us back or at least bringing us back as one entity. Right now our Core Crystal is supporting two Blades."

"Uh huh…"

"Well, the crystal isn't stable in that state for long, so one of us will have to disappear soon."

"What?!"

"It might not be permanent, if I transfer my memories and body correctly, Pyra and I will return to our old form. You should be able to switch back between us, just like old times."

"Oh, whew, that's not so bad."

"It may take a few years for that to work, given the crystal needs time to stabilize. Pyra and I spoke, and we think it should be her that stays while I disappear for a while."

"Huh? Why?"

"You chose her in the Land of Morytha. You called out her name. I don't hold that against you, but since she's the first one you met, the first one that loved you…"

Rex was trying to process all this information, and he stood up in the process.

"Are you mad at me for keeping this from you? You can yell at me if you want," Mythra said.

Rex shook his head.

"You've thought of the best plan possible. I don't think I can disagree. I will miss you while you're gone, though."

Mythra smiled and kissed him on the forehead.

"We will make this happen the next time I meet Pyra. Are you okay with that?"

"I think so; it's either that or you both could be destroyed."

"Thank you for understanding Rex…and not being a crybaby."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks for telling me. This is the first time you told me something like this ahead of time," Rex said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you never warned me about the journey we would be on and then that it would end in you sacrificing yourself."

Mythra folded her arms.

"You wouldn't be here if I told you. You nearly wanted to die with me. I couldn't let that happen. You are humans after all. You have dreams and a full life ahead of you. I couldn't take that away from you, and I couldn't allow you to throw that away. So don't bring it up again. Pyra and I, that decision tore us up, and I would appreciate it if you didn't remind us of it."

"I'm sorry, Mythra. I guess I never thought of it that way."

"Rex, it's okay. For my entire time here, I never knew what it was like to care about someone. Sure, I cared about Addam, but mainly because the world was sinking into chaos then. To truly love someone though, it was a foreign idea to me. You showed me what it was like, and that's not lost on me."

"Well, I guess I'm glad you got to experience that."

"Anyways, that's enough sentimentality for now. Let's go find ourselves some breakfast."

Rex and Mythra left the room and went down the hall to get Roc and Wulfric. Zeke meanwhile had fallen back asleep, but Pandoria was awake. Together, they went to pick up some Ruska Noodle Soup.

Rex, know his days with Mythra were numbered mentioned to his other Blades that he would be using her the most. Roc and Wulfric didn't mind much. Pandoria was also a bit sad that Mythra was leaving them temporarily, but understood she had little choice.

They stopped at the shop and purchased a large container of Ruska Noodle Soup and took it back to the inn. Zeke had awoken and was patiently waiting for them to bring him breakfast.

"Ah! You've arrived with food, chum," he said.

"No thanks to you," Pandoria said.

"Hey, a crown prince needs his sleep!"

"We should visit Tora today," Rex suggested.

The loud roar of an Ardanian ship docking interrupted them. The roar was loud enough to shake the entire inn.

"Huh? Something's going on at the Relay Base."

The group finished up their soup and headed toward the base. As they were on their way, they ran into Poppi and Tora.

"Poppi!" Rex shouted.

The artificial blade turned around. She was in her QTπ form.

"Poppi happy to see Rex-Rex!" she said, opening her arms for a hug.

"Tora happy to see friends too," said their Nopon friend.

"Do you know what's going on with that ship?"

"Things not look good between Urayans and Ardanians. They fight all the time. Gormotti suffers as result."

"Look, the soldiers are all lining up. Maybe Mòrag is here. Let's go see!" Rex said.

The group rushed toward the base but were halted by Urayan troops.

"Halt! This is a restricted zone!" screamed one of them.

"Restricted?! You do not restrict The Aegis' Driver," Zeke declared.

"It's them! They are on the Ardanian side! See! The treaty says we disarm and here are the Ardanians with their Aegis!" shouted another overzealous soldier.

"No, you misunderstand. I'm not on anybody's side!" Rex shouted.

The troops moved in to seize them when blue flames disrupted them.

"What is this?!" Mòrag shouted. "How dare you threaten Rex!"

"See! They've even brought the Special Inquisitor! Get them!"

"Hold it!" Pyra shouted. Nia and Pyra joined Rex.

The Ardanian soldiers also formed a wall between Rex and the Urayans.

"Can we stop for a second?" Mòrag asked.

The two sides dropped their guns.

"Look, I'm not on anybody's side. I'm just here to see my friends. Yes, Mòrag is an Ardanian, but Vandham was an Urayan. Zeke is Tantalese. Nia is Gormotti. I didn't choose to save one group," Rex said.

The soldiers stepped away from each other and back into their side of the base. The Ardanian commanding officer of stepped towards Mòrag to deliver a report. Meanwhile, Rex took the time to catch up with Pyra and Nia.

"Are you two good?" Rex asked.

"Well, we came together, so yes," Nia replied.

"Did you tell him?" Pyra asked Mythra.

Mythra nodded.

"Tell Rex-Rex what?" Tora asked.

Rex looked at Mythra. Mythra gestured as if she wanted Rex to tell them.

"Mythra's going away for a while."

"What?! Huh?" Zeke looked confused.

"The core crystal cannot support two Blades for a long time. For Pyra and Mythra to avoid destroying the crystal, Mythra needs to go away for a while. As the crystal regenerates, Pyra and Mythra may eventually be able to switch back and forth just like old times."

"Tora not understand, Mythra leave? Does she not like Rex-Rex?"

Mythra blushed.

"Masterpon too dense. Mythra just needs to leave us for a little bit. Rex-Rex appears okay with that. They still like each other."

"Chum, how many girls are you going to lose?" Zeke joked.

"At least he has them, Shellhead!" Nia snapped.

"It's only temporary, we hope."

"Well this makes things a bit simpler," Nia thought.

"I will transfer all my memories to Pyra and then my time here will be done," Mythra said.

Brighid overheard their conversation and walked over.

"I suppose you'll be gone for a while…I hope to see you again one day," she said.

"Yeah, I'm going to wait for Mòrag so I can say goodbye to her as well."

Mòrag came over and saw that the group had sat down on the ground in a circle around Mythra and Pyra.

"What is going on?" she said.

"Mythra's leaving us for a while," Brighid said.

"Oh…I uhhh…" Mòrag began but didn't appear to have any more words.

"My core crystal cannot support the both of us at the same time, but maybe one day Rex can switch between Pyra and me again."

Mòrag nodded and gave Mythra a salute.

"You better come back! I can't put up with Rex alone!" Nia said.

Rex's other Blades each took turns saying goodbye to Mythra. When they were finished, Rex spoke again. His voice trembled slightly, but he mostly kept his composure.

Rex turned to Mythra. "I suppose this is goodbye for now."

"For now Rex…I'll be back and you better still be in shape when I am!" Mythra and Rex hugged for much longer than usual. This time, it seemed much more natural, and they held each other for a few minutes before she kissed Rex.

"I'll see you again sometime."

At this point, the core crystal began to glow in both Pyra's and Mythra's chest. An emerald ball of light emerged from Mythra's chest and floated into Pyra's chest. A gentle light surrounded Mythra as she began to levitate. Moments later, she was lying motionless and floating in the air. Then her body itself was engulfed in light before it became absorbed into Pyra's chest. With the light went her body as well and soon, Rex and Pyra stood alone.

Rex and Pyra stared at each other. He then looked at Nia and nodded. The two girls walked up to Rex and hugged him. Rex did not show too much emotion. He knew that Mythra was going to be back some day.

Pyra looked into Rex's eyes.

"Mythra transferred a final thought to me. She said she wanted us to be happy together. She said she wanted you to be happy with both Nia and me."

"Huh?" Rex said, looking confused.

"Let's talk about this when we get back to Leftheria," Nia suggested.

"Chum! You're the luckiest guy alive right now!" Zeke proclaimed.

Mòrag stood up.

"I've been asked to help negotiate with the Urayans and Gormotti," Mòrag said.

"Then we'll stay with you to help," Rex said.

Morag smiled. "You don't have to Rex. This is between two nations."

"I want to help though."

"Oh alright, well, see the problem is right now the two sides are dealing with some insurgents from each side that are hell-bent on trying to take over the entire city. To complicate things, some of these insurgents come from the Gormotti population. I think what we need to do is help capture the leaders of both militias and help create a peace deal in the city. Some Gormotti have formed their own militia to try and stop these two other groups. They've captured a few individuals, but none of them are quite close to the ringleaders, so they haven't been able to gather further information."

"I see, so you want us to find these ringleaders and bring them in so that we can try to make peace in the city."

"Tora know leaders of the friendly Gormotti militia. They are Natheus and Eyvan from lumberyard."

"Ah, so we should go to the lumberyard to meet them," Rex said.

"Yes, let's go."

The group headed toward Saet's Lumber Co where they found Natheus and Eyvan busy chopping wood. Rex went up to Natheus.

"Hey, Natheus!"

"Hey there, Rex! What brings you back to Torigoth?" he replied.

"I came to ask about the militia."

"I don't know if I can talk about that in front of the Special Inquisitor here," Natheus said, shooting Morag a concerning look.

"Rest assured that I am not here to arrest anyone from your group. We are wanting to help you out in apprehending the other factions that are trying to undermine Ardanian and Urayan relations."

"Oh okay. Well, we now have some rumors on the names of the two individuals that are responsible for each faction."

"Okay, do you know who they are? Have you seen them?"

"I have not seen either Gustav or Randle. Gustav is allegedly the leader of the Ardanian Resistance, and Randle is allegedly the leader of the Urayan Front. These are the names of the factions that are currently trying to undermine the peace process," Natheus said.

"Does Eyvan know anything more than you do?" Morag asked.

"Hey Eyvan, come here!" Natheus said.

Eyvan set his axe on the ground and walked over. "Yes, Natheus? What's up?" he asked.

"Do you know any other information about Gustav and Randle's whereabouts?"

"We I think we know that these groups are hiding outside of Torigoth as a method to avoid detection. I believe I saw suspicious characters lurking around Varnax's Plunge and another group deeper into the forested area. Now that there's no Cloud Sea, they can lurk in the forest without needing to worry about the tide."

"Let's go check it out," Pyra suggested.

"Be careful out there. I know you are an excellent Driver, Rex. Still, these guys are tough since nobody has been able to beat them back yet. They are a real headache though."

"Let's go get them, chum!"

"That is if Shellhead doesn't have any more bad luck."

"Hey, you're the one with the bad luck Blade, Nia. Kasandra always brings rotten luck."

"Excuse me! I have the best luck in the world," Kasandra retorted.

"Pyra, Roc, Wulfric, you guys ready?" Rex asked.

"Yes!" his Blades all said in unison.

"Dromarch? Kasandra?" Nia asked.

"We are with you!"

The group made their preparations and headed over to Varnax's Plunge. They sent a mercenary group to visit the other site at the Waytree. The place had a few large Queen Arachnos. Not wanting to fight them, the group hid while the Arachnos crawled past them.

"Where could they be?" Rex whispered.

Nia quietly crept around and noticed a small entrance to a cave covered by a thick layer of moss.

"I think I found something," she said.

"What do we do if we find them?" Zeke asked.

"I have ether nets to capture them," Mòrag said. "Reminder that we are here to incapacitate, not kill."

"Right on, Mòrag," Rex said. "Pyra, I may need your help with this moss. You too Brighid."

"Sure, Rex," Pyra said. The two fire Blades used their Fire Mastery to burn down the moss covering the entrance. There was a big boulder behind the moss in the entrance.

"Wulfric? Poppi?" Rex asked.

The two used their Superstrength to move the rock. The passageway was dark so nobody could see anything.

"That's okay; I just need Mythr— oh…uhh." Rex stood there, motionless as he thought about Mythra. Pyra patted him on the back.

"Hey Rex, I can help with this too," she gently reminded him. Nia squeezed Rex's hand and smiled.

"Come on Rex," Nia encouraged.

He took a deep breath and shook off his thoughts.

"Right, Pyra, Brighid…light the way, please. Everyone, keep your shields and weapons up."

"That's more like it," Nia said.

As they crept further in, the cave opened up to some sort of encampment. There was a small river flowing through the area, and there were several tents and a campfire. Weapons littered the floor, at least one of them looking like a Blade weapon. They quickly found another boulder and hid behind it.

"Someone coming…" Tora whispered.

Several men stepped out of their tents.

"Let's go destroy a Urayan farm today!" shouted a Driver who appeared to be the boss of the group."

"Not today you aren't!" Rex shouted, ambushing them.

"What?! Small fry! Think you can take me!" shouted the Driver.

"Let's go! Chaaarge!"

"Sword Bash!"

"Ultra lightning fury slash!"

"Flame Nova!"

"Will-o-the-Wisp!"

Without thinking, Rex shouted Mythra's name…and then realized his light combo was gone too. He looked at Pyra and then the two nodded.

"Rex! I've got you! Let's go."

"Burning Sword!" they shouted together.

"Healing Halo!" Nia said, noticing that they were a bit injured.

"Raging Tiger!"

"Poppi Ignition!"

The attack from Poppi engulfed the area in flames.

"Uh oh! We overdid it!"

"I said incapacitate!" Mòrag shouted.

Dromarch sprung into action, using his water mastery to put out the flames. Mòrag then tossed the Ether Net and captured the Driver.

"What is your name?" Mòrag said.

"As if I would tell you, Ardanian scum!"

Nia stood up and smacked the Driver in the face.

"Give her your name, or you'll find yourself on an Ardanian ship forever!"

"What's a Gormotti girl like you doing with Ardanians?! You're scum too!"

"Never insult Nia in front of me!" Rex shouted. Pyra and Zeke grabbed him and held him back.

"Rex, stop it. The best we can do is hand him over to the Gormotti authorities," Pyra said.

"Chum! You fought valiantly. There's no need to go overboard," said Zeke.

Gormotti forces were called in along with some Urayan and Ardanian troops. They escorted the mysterious Driver away. Kasandra showed up a few minutes later saying they had gotten another suspicious Driver at the Waytree.

The group made their way back to the relay base where soldiers from both sides thanked them for their services. Mòrag decided to stay behind to help keep the peace. Tora and Poppi went back home. As the rest of the group made their way back to Leftheria on a ship, Rex's mind had more time to wander. He soon realized he missed Mythra more than anything. He stood alone on the flight deck. Pyra and Nia both noticed.

"Rex, I've made dinner. I think you should get something to eat," Pyra said.

"I helped a little," Nia said.

"I'm not hungry."

"Don't be silly, Rex!" Nia folded her arms.

"Well, maybe I'll join you guys later."

"It'll be cold later," Pyra said. "I bet you're thinking about Mythra. She's going to come back one day. She was confident about that. She transferred all her thoughts to me, so I know she didn't mean to leave permanently."

"I guess. You two said you had something to talk about?"

"Oh that," Nia began. "We wanted to let you know that we are fine that you can't decide between us two."

"Huh?"

"Don't look so confused, Rex. You know what we mean," Pyra said.

"You love both of us, and you can't decide," Nia said rather frankly.

"Nia and I don't mind sharing," Pyra said.

"I see…"

"Just thought we'd let you know…" Nia said.

"Okay, I'll uhh…keep that in mind."

Pyra grabbed Rex's hand. "Come on, let's go eat."

"Finally, I'm hungry," said a familiar voice.

"Pandoria! What are you doing here?" Rex said.

"I heard everything. Trust me; I won't tell everyone about your love life."

"Please don't," Rex said.

"Pandy what is this?" Zeke asked.

"Rex is dating two girls."

"Oh, you greedy little… man," Zeke teased.

Rex turned several shades of red until his face was like Pyra's outfit.

"Zeke! It's not like…"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Rex. You deserve them, and they deserve you. Nobody can rescue the world and still be told what to do by the world. Embrace it. Enjoy it," Zeke said.

The group headed back inside for some dinner, and some of them began to share some memories of Mythra.

"You know, Mythra nearly took Rex's head off when they first met," Nia said.

"Oh yeah, I think she was pretty mad. I didn't expect Pyra to suddenly change form like that."

"Hey, I didn't change form. She took over," Pyra said.

"There was also that one time," Dromarch began.

"Oh no! You're not going to tell them…" Rex interrupted.

"Long story short, Mythra and Rex were in bed together," Dromarch finished.

"No no no! It wasn't like that. She sleepwalked into the boys' room, and when I awoke, she was just there."

"How was it, chum?" Zeke asked.

"Huh? No, nothing else happened."

"She threw stuff at Rex," Dromarch added.

"Gahhh!"

"Then Pyra tried to apologize on Mythra's behalf. Rex and Pyra were in love already though," Nia said.

"I was just trying to help," Pyra said.

"I could trust Mythra with my secrets. She knew I was a flesh eater but never told anyone," Nia said.

"You know, the most hilarious moment was when she told you to shut up when she was trying to fix the Omega Fetter," Zeke said.

"I got used to it by then. But hey, Mythra did absolutely everything she could to protect me. I wasn't the best Driver at the time. Anyways, I guess we should call it a night though. It's getting late."

"Sure thing Rex."

The two girls decided to take a room with Rex although there were three separate beds. Still, just being together with Nia and Pyra made Rex feel more comfortable. It made losing Mythra easier to swallow.

He began to mumble in his sleep, but this time it wasn't a nightmare.

"I'll wait for you Mythra. I love you. I love Pyra; I love Nia," he mumbled.

"Pyra," Nia whispered.

"Yes, Nia?"

"Should we wake him?"

"Nah, it doesn't sound like a nightmare this time. He's dreaming."

"I guess. He is a bit annoying though," Nia quipped quietly.

"Oh well, I'm sure we can give him crap about it tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, I guess so."

* * *

 **Short chapter this time around. I had a hectic week at work. A few systems went down, and I had to bring them back up ASAP.  
**

 **Anyways, I can say we are almost near the end. There are a few more ideas I have for this story, but I don't want to drag it too long.**


	6. And Thus Boy Met Girls

**New pen name, folks. Hope it didn't throw you off too much. Also, a belated happy New Game Plus day! I'm just going to speed run through it, and then work through the side quests again.  
**

* * *

After arriving back in Fonsett, Zeke's father had summoned Zeke back to Tantal to talk about the land claims he made. Rex decided that he wanted to visit with Gramps alone and excused himself from the rest of the group.

"Hello Rex, fancy seeing you here again," Azurda said.

"Sorry, Gramps. Life has been busy."

"Oh I am sure, it's not easy to choose between three girls."

"Wha—how do you know about that?"

"Don't be dense Rex; you don't think any of your Blades haven't filled me in on this?"

Rex stood there, slightly incredulous that Gramps already knew everything.

"Well, it's just two of them now. Mythra disappeared. Her core crystal couldn't support two Blades for long. The thing is, I don't want to choose between them, even though that's what everyone says I should do."

"Who is everyone?" Azurda asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, most of Alrest."

"I find that hard to believe that the very people you've saved are going to care much. You've always followed your heart, Rex. It has done you well. Are you not going to do the same now?"

"I guess you're right Gramps."

"Pyra and Nia both have deep feelings for you. I sensed it almost from the beginning. Mythra too, although she's on temporary leave."

"I want to be with both of them for the rest of my life."

"That's the Rex I know. Now one of these days, you'll have to buy a couple of rings."

"Wha? Uh…I'm not ready for that yet."

"Suit yourself, but I'm pretty sure they are patiently waiting for that day."

"What's it like?"

"What?"

"Being married?"

"Don't look at me; I'm just a titan. Maybe you could ask Corinne to show you some romance writings."

"Oh…" Rex said, realizing that Gramps could not quite answer that question.

"Not to mention, you might be the first in a long time to marry a Blade, and especially if that Blade is a Flesh Eater. I am sure that's a different experience."

"I guess…"

"Anyways, as I am a Titan, I can't be the most helpful here. Do what you think is best for you and Pyra and Nia."

"Sure thing, Gramps."

"Now Rex, you only come out here for advice now? I remember you would just come here just to say hello when you were younger."

"Sorry Gramps, as I said I was…"

"Busy yes. Well, don't forget who brought you up. Anyways, run along. I'll see you hopefully soon."

"Alright, Gramps."

* * *

"Where's Rex gone off to now?" Nia asked.

"I presume he's visiting Gramps," Corinne asked. "I saw him heading in that direction."

"He hasn't visited in a while, so I don't think Gramps is going to be too happy," Pyra said.

"Oh, I'm sure Azurda is giving him a hard time right now," Corinne said.

"Hey, Corinne, when was the last time anyone married their Blade?" Pyra asked.

"Now that's an intriguing question. I may not know the answer to that. I do know that it was commonly mentioned in many old tales about Blades and Drivers. Unfortunately, most of those Blades likely lost their memories as their spouses passed away. Are you asking because of Rex?" Corinne replied.

"I guess. How about multiple Blades?" Nia asked.

"I don't know about that. I'm sure it was done too. Look, don't let the fear of feeling out of place to prevent you two from following your hearts. You both love Rex. That ought to be enough."

"I guess so," Pyra said.

"Now if you do marry Rex, I hope you'll take care of him. My days in Alrest are numbered and dare I say it; he's going to need someone else to be there for him besides me."

"Oh, don't be like that, Corinne. But yes, we'll take care of him if it comes to that," Nia said.

"It looks like he's on his way back," Pyra said as she saw Rex coming down the path.

"No, it looks like he's going up to the cemetery now."

"Oh, I suppose he wanted to talk to his parents."

"Maybe we should follow him?" Nia asked.

"I don't know, it could be personal," Pyra said, shrugging.

"He's our Driver though."

"I guess, maybe we can. Rex might be talking to his parents about us."

The two girls snuck their way up the steps to the cemetery and hid behind the bush. They heard Rex talking.

"Hey mum, hey dad. I just wanted to let you know that I think I met the love of my life. Well, it's two of them. I know you both met Pyra. There's also a girl named Nia," he began.

Nia's ears perked up.

"See, like Pyra, Nia's an amazing friend. I met her on my journey. She's another Blade, but she's also human. Throughout our journey, she's healed many people and helped them out. I love her because she is always there to help me in any situation. I love her because she always presses on regardless of how hard times may be. I love her because she does many selfless things for others. And I love her because she loves me."

Nia covered her mouth to avoid making any noises, but tears of joy streamed down her face.

"Then there's Pyra. She saved my life. Through all the hardships, she's helped me through it all. I love her because she made me into the Driver that I am. I love her because made me believe in myself and we did what the world thought to be impossible. Pyra and Nia, my life wouldn't be complete without them. I always want to be there for them. Oh yes, there was a third girl, but she's another side of Pyra. One that's strong and fierce but also has a soft side. Mythra can't be here today, but one day you can meet her too. I guess I'm telling you guys this because I want to let you two know that I'm thinking of making them my partners for life…and I hope to gain your blessing for that. I know I may not be old enough compared to others in Alrest, but maybe one day I will have the courage to ask them."

Nia and Pyra looked at each other and embraced.

"Of course we—"

"Shh, Pyra, he hasn't asked us yet. He doesn't know we are here," Nia whispered. The two decided to scurry back to the house to let their emotions out a bit without Rex noticing.

Rex suddenly fell into a trance, and his world turned black for a moment. Then he appeared in the familiar grassy field where a hooded person stood.

"Addam?"

"Rex, you love her don't you?"

"Who?"

"Pyra."

"Yes, yes I do."

"I see. It's curious that you would say that. Humans, they usually see Blades as a means to an end. You see them as much more than that."

"Well, because they are living beings too. They have feelings. They can feel pain. They have minds."

"Perhaps the world would have started out on a better footing if people saw things as you do."

"Did you have feelings for her?"

"Mythra? I can't deny that I did. I was never a good enough Driver for her though."

"Did she tell you that?"

"No, it was more the fact I could not handle the third sword. I felt as a Driver; it was my responsibility to not use the Aegis as my Blade for fear that her power would be impossible for me to control. You managed though, and so you've earned the right to be the Aegis' true Driver."

"I guess I don't know how I was chosen."

"The Architect chose correctly though. There's one thing I would like to ask you though."

"What's that?"

"Take good care of Pyra. Don't you dare break her heart!"

"I would never do that, Addam."

"Good, one day you will see Mythra again. It won't be today, but soon. My time here is up now."

The grassy field faded and Rex appeared back in the cemetery.

"I need a couple of diamond rings," Rex thought. "Maybe I could salvage some of the materials."

He went over to the market and purchased a couple of Premium Cylinders. Without the cloud sea, Rex had learned to dive into the water. It was indeed a deeper drop, but still nothing Rex couldn't manage. He trudged to the salvage point and began preparations to dive.

* * *

"So you overheard him talking to his parents about you two?" Corinne asked.

"Yeah, he was confessing his love," Nia said.

"What is he doing now?" Pyra asked, peeking out the window.

"It looks like he's salvaging," Corinne said.

"He hasn't done that in forever," Nia commented.

"Should we go out and see?" Pyra asked.

"Nah, salvaging is boring."

They watched as Rex dove into the water.

"Well, he's gone."

"Tell me more about what he said," Corinne said.

"He was rambling about the reasons why he loved us," Pyra said.

"Aw, that's sweet!"

"That's pretty much it. I think he hinted that he wanted to be with us forever."

"Maybe he wants to get married soon," Corinne said.

"He's a little young for that right?" Pyra asked.

"Well, I think he's mature enough," Corinne said.

"I don't," Nia joked.

"Hey, he wants to marry you too!"

"How's this going to work though?"

"What do you mean, Nia?"

"Does he get to spend one night with you and the next with me?"

"I'm not sure. That could work. He's pretty much done that already. We could share a room together."

Nia folded her arms.

"No, that's awkward. I would rather not see and hear you and him doing stuff at night."

Pyra blushed. "Right, of course. I guess we should alternate. But maybe it could be one week back and forth."

"Uh, I guess."

"Oh look, Rex is back up!" Pyra said.

They could see Rex coming up with a bunch of salvage and busy collecting it all.

"Ugh, there are two sapphires. No diamonds!" Rex said, frustrated.

"He doesn't look too happy with what he got. Oh, it looks like he's going for another dive," Pyra observed.

Rex disappeared under the sea again. Suddenly he surfaced again as four Crustips chased him, and the leaped onto the ledge.

"We should go help him!" Pyra said.

Nia and Pyra rushed over to the ledge to aid him.

"Ahhhh!" Rex said as the Crustips hit him multiple times their claws.

"Rex! We are here for you!" Pyra shouted.

"Why did you come out here without a Blade?" Nia asked. She quickly switched to Blade form, and the group promptly defeated the Crustips.

"Why is there a pile of gemstones here?" Pyra asked.

"Oh uhh, it's nothing."

"Well, it can't be nothing Rex. They are in too neat of a pile to be nothing. Why are you salvaging anyways?" Nia asked.

"I'm looking for stuff, for fun, you know…" Rex said nervously.

"Well, we will stick around then to protect you," Pyra said.

"No, there's no need to do that. I will be fine."

"You were almost crustip food moments ago. That's not fine," Nia said with hands on her hips.

"Well, I'm done salvaging anyways."

"Really? You weren't done moments ago. Rex, you're acting very strangely."

"How so, Pyra?" Rex asked. Pyra could sense that he was nervous, so she smiled at him.

"Well, if you don't want to tell me anything, you don't have to right now." Pyra kissed Rex on the cheek, further confusing him.

"Rex, you are so weird sometimes. I don't get you," Nia retorted.

"Let's go inside," Rex suggested.

"I have to send a message to Zeke to see if he could get me some diamonds from Tantal. Better yet, they may have diamond rings," he thought.

"What are you waiting for sweetheart?" Pyra asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Sorry. Since when have you started calling me 'sweetheart'?"

"Since now," Pyra said.

"I'll still call you Rex. I don't like calling people names like that," Nia said.

The group made their way back to the house where Rex immediately went to his room to draft a message for the courier to deliver to Zeke.

 _Zeke, I need your help. I am in need of two diamond rings, but I can't seem to salvage any of them in Leftheria. I know Tantal has some so could you buy some. I am sending some gold with the courier, I hope it's enough, and if it isn't, I'll pay you back the difference.  
_

 _-Rex_

He rushed off to find the courier leaving Pyra and Nia utterly confounded.

"Why is he in such a hurry?" Nia asked.

"He's been acting very weird since his confession at his parents' grave. I wonder if he's keeping secrets from us," Pyra thought.

"He's Rex, I'm sure he is just trading in his salvage winnings," Pyra stated.

Rex himself had indeed thought this through. He was going to drop off the note and then trade in some of the items he salvaged so it would look like he was just trading.

"Here's a letter and some gold for Zeke in Tantal," he told the courier. The courier accepted the items and loaded them onto his ship.

Rex then stopped by the trading post and collected 100,000 gold after presenting his items. Then he returned to the house with the money.

"Rex, don't you think you've earned enough money now?" Pyra said.

"Yes, but I am saving for a rainy day."

"That sounds too mature for you, are you sure?" Nia said.

"I am. I'm going to use it to help Leftheria."

"I guess that's believable," Nia said.

"Anyways, Rex, what else are we doing today?" Pyra asked.

"Huh? Umm…we could uhh...help with the school garden."

"Let's do it then."

The Azure Schoolhouse had a vegetable garden as a way to teach the youngsters how to farm. The locals often worked to help with the garden when school was not in session. The group grabbed a few gardening supplies and made their way over to the school. There were a few weeds, and they decided that it was time to get rid of those. They hunkered down and got to work on removing the weeds.

* * *

Zeke was sitting at Anastasia's drinking some of Tantalese's finest beer. Pandoria sat there, trying to make sure Zeke didn't drink too much.

"How many have you had? Your father's going to be pissed," Pandoria asked.

"Do I look like I care what he thinks? Come on; I need to enjoy life."

"Delivery!" said a courier. She handed Zeke a sack of money and a note.

"Pandy! This is from Rex! Why would he be sending money? I'm not poor."

"Read the note!"

Zeke scanned the note over a few times.

"Pandy! Rex has become a man!"

"What does that mean?"

He showed Pandoria the note and grinned.

"The man needs engagement rings, let's go get them."

"He's going to marry both of them?" Pandoria said, eyes wide open.

Just then, Zeke's father showed up at the bar, and the entire establishment went silent.

"Drinking again? Son, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked angrily.

"Pops, I haven't been here since last week! It's the weekend; I need some time to chill."

"You've chilled enough!"

"Look, I have important business now." He handed his father Rex's note.

"Oh…I suppose we owe him a thank you. Tell him to keep the gold. I shall search the family treasury for the finest rings. I certainly owe him after what I almost did to Pyra. Why does he need two of them?"

"He's going to marry both Nia and Pyra," Pandoria blurted.

"Oh boy, I wonder how pops will feel about that," Zeke thought.

"That's fine by me. I suppose he's earned the right to marry whomever he chooses."

"You're not sending the rings over courier, are you?"

"Nope, you are to deliver them to Rex."

Zeke paid his tab and stumbled after his father to the royal treasury. Pandoria snickered as she followed along.

King Eulogimenos went deep into the royal treasury and pulled out two diamond rings from a drawer.

"These were made during the Aegis War. I am sure he would find these most appropriate."

The rings were made of gold and encrusted with eight tiny diamonds and one large one in the middle. The diamonds were shaped uniquely, one the shape of a flame and another the shape of a teardrop.

"I don't know if it was fate or not but these rings do appear to represent your lovers quite well," the king said.

Zeke stumbled into a crate and spilled a bunch of gold coins onto the floor. The King shook his head as Pandoria picked up Zeke and walked him back to his room.

"Once he sobers up, can you go with him to deliver the rings to Rex?"

"Yes, your majesty."

* * *

"Rex, do you need to rest?" Pyra asked. She noticed that Rex was getting tired of pulling out all those weeds on his knees. She let Rex lean against her body for a moment. The weather in Leftheria could get extremely hot and humid during the day. The sweltering heat would often result in many instances of heat stroke.

"I feel lightheaded," Rex said.

Nia used her water skills to try and cool off Rex.

"You should drink some water, Rex," she said.

"Let's take him inside," Pyra suggested.

"I can walk," Rex said. He managed to get himself into the house under his own power. After a cup of cold water, he seemed to feel much better. He wanted to go back out, but the girls kept him from doing so.

"You've already become a hero; you should stop," Pyra scolded.

"Seriously, Rex, you're so stubborn sometimes!" Nia shouted.

"Well, that's who I am then!" Rex shouted back.

"Could you not be so reckless once in a while?! We are both worried sick about you all the time!" Pyra added.

Rex sat down and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I never meant to worry you."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell," Nia said.

"It's fine, Nia and Pyra. I will stay here for you."

"This hot weather is the perfect excuse for some ice cream!" Corinne said as she entered the house with some Steam-Gel Ice Creams in small packages.

"Ahhh! That's the best stuff!" Nia said excitedly.

Pyra took one of the packages and unwrapped it. The ice cream melted almost immediately.

"Oops, I forgot that only Mythra could enjoy ice cream without melting it," she said with a laugh.

"Sorry Pyra," Rex said.

"No worries, Rex. The heat here doesn't affect me at all. I'm immune to it. You and Nia could use some ice cream though."

"Remember when you used Pyra as your personal heater?" Rex teased Nia.

"Huh? Hey, I was cold!"

"My lady, I offered to keep you warm too," Dromarch said, emerging from the next room.

"Well, your fur was all hard and stuff!"

Rex handed Dromarch ice cream in a bowl, and he happily lapped it up.

"Indeed this is good ice cream," he said.

At that moment, a knock came at the door. Rex opened it, and there stood Zeke.

"Hi Zeke, fancy seeing you here."

Zeke whispered into Rex's ear.

"I have your rings, let's go somewhere secret," he said.

"Oh, hey Pyra and Nia, you'll have to excuse me, but Zeke and I have some important things to talk about."

"Oh? Uh, okay," Pyra said.

The two girls scratched their heads as Rex and Zeke disappeared. Zeke slipped the two rings in their cases into Rex's pouch.

"Where are you planning on going to do this?" he asked.

"Maybe the Village Guardian?" Rex replied.

"I'll hide in the bushes then."

"Wait, you want me to do it now?!"

"You have too; I came all the way to witness it. Just go! You've got nothing to lose. They aren't going to say no!"

Rex took the rings and ran back to the house.

"Pyra and Nia, could you come with me to the Village Guardian?"

"Huh? Why are you in such a hurry?" Nia said. "Where's Zeke?"

"I'll explain later, just come on!" Rex insisted.

The two girls followed hesitantly.

"Has Rex gone mad?" Nia asked.

"I don't know, Nia."

The two of them went over to the Village Guardian where Rex was waiting for them.

"Come a little closer, I got something to show you," he said.

"What is it, Rex?"

He laid his Blade weapon down and then got down on one knee.

"Oh…could it be?" Pyra thought.

"Nia, Pyra, you both are the loves of my life. It would be unfair to choose just one of you. So Nia, Pyra, the story of our love is only beginning. Will you join me in writing the next chapter? Will you marry me?" Rex asked, holding out a ring in each of his hands to Pyra and Nia.

"Oh Architect that was corny!" shouted a voice inside Rex's head.

"Yes!" the girls said in unison. For what felt like the next hour, Rex found himself hugging both of them and having a few kisses.

"You lucky bastard…" Zeke said to himself in the bushes. "The luckiest man in all of Alrest…and he deserves it, no question about it."

Zeke tried to sneak out through the bushes when he suddenly stepped on a Bunnit. The bunnits grew angry and attacked him, interrupting Rex's moment with the girls.

"Arghhh!" Zeke shouted.

"Huh? Zeke?" Pyra said.

Rex turned around to see a few bunnits giving Zeke a hard time.

"Oh, for the Architect's sake!" Rex shouted.

They chased the bunnits away.

"You saw all that?" Nia said.

"Yes."

"Don't share with the world!" Pyra scolded.

"Yes, Pyra. I-I'm actually on my way back to Tantal. See you all later!" Zeke said, quickly retreating to the ship where Pandoria waited for him.

"Did he do it?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Did they say yes?"

"Yep. Chum's a grown up now!"

"Yay!"

* * *

That night, Rex, Pyra, and Nia decided to share a bed together. Corinne went to share the good news with Azurda. Azurda seems worried that Rex wouldn't be quite old enough to marry, but Corinne assured him that his thoughts were absolute nonsense.

The two girls laid next to Rex on each side. They kissed several times. Dromarch decided to sleep elsewhere although not before he heard other noises coming from the room.

"Ugh, romance and stuff. I can't stand it," Dromarch remarked before he went outside to sleep under a tree.

"I guess I'll have to get used to it now," he sighed and then fell asleep minutes later.

The noises died down when Corinne returned from seeing Azurda. She opened the door to what would have been Nia's room and found the bed empty. Corinne then cracked the widest smile in all of Alrest.

"I guess this will be my room now, Rex will need the other one for a while," she thought to herself


	7. Epilogue

**I'm pretty awful at writing any dialogue related to weddings so I've essentially copped out here and resorted to writing a purely narrative epilogue. If someone wants to write a much better wedding story, you have my permission.**

* * *

Rex awoke suddenly while it was still dark. The moonlight filled the room. His heart fluttered with anticipation as this was the day. It was the day to make his love for Pyra and Nia official. Not wanting to draw so much attention to himself, the wedding was a small one. Rex resorted to inviting the few people he met along his journey from various regions. Of course, Mòrag and Zeke were already here.

Rex got up out of bed and went toward the dining room. Given that today was the big day, he didn't want Pyra making breakfast. Instead, he wanted to help Corinne. Nobody else was awake though so he took a seat at the table.

In his mind, he repeated his vows silently. He wanted to make this perfect. Today was the day he would proclaim his love for two of his Blades.

He peeked out the window and saw some people from the village setting up for the outdoor wedding. They neatly arranged chairs and assembled a large golden Indol-esque stage. The owner of the café, Maxello, was going to officiate the wedding and he too was getting ready.

Deep in thought, Rex suddenly remembered a third girl. It was Mythra that he thought about. He wished that he would have been able to profess his deep love for her too. Still, today wasn't about Mythra. It was about Rex, Nia, and Pyra.

Footsteps came from down the hall, and they got louder. It was Pyra, who didn't apparently remember that she wasn't supposed to make breakfast. Nor was she and Rex supposed to see each other until the wedding. She caught eye of Rex and quickly ran back into the room.

It was a bit tricky to find bridesmaids and groomsmen for the wedding. Rex's circle of friends was quite small, and none of the group wanted to strangers to take those roles. Mòrag was selected as the maid of honor, and Brighid and Pandoria were the other bridesmaids. Zeke was Rex's Best Man. Some of the other groomsmen consisted of Garfont villagers along with Roc and Wulfric. The heads of state of all the various kingdoms were also present. They sat together in the front, Emperor Niall, King Eulogimenos, and Queen Raqura.

A few minutes later, Corinne came down the hall. The two of them made a simple breakfast with eggs and ham. Rex woke Zeke up, and they ate quickly. The girls ate minutes later while Rex was making his preparations.

After what seemed like an eternity, the ceremony began. Azurda, being a titan wasn't able to proceed down the aisle, so he entered in from the side. Then Roc, Wulfric and the rest of the groomsmen proceeded down the aisle. Next, Corinne walked Rex down the aisle along with Zeke. Afterward came the ring bearer and flower girl. The ring bearer had two rings with him, one for Nia and one for Pyra.

It all seemed like a blur to Rex as things were happening very quickly. He did manage to keep his composure though as the Maxello delivered his opening remarks.

Rex wasn't listening though. Even as Zeke gave his remarks, his eyes were at the end of the aisle. Any moment now, Nia and Pyra would be coming down that aisle. Was he ready? Would he be a good husband? What would their futures hold? His mind raced back and forth, and suddenly the world disappeared again. He turned to face Addam in the grassy field again.

"The day has finally arrived," Addam said.

"Yes, it has," Rex replied.

"I don't have many words this time. I am merely here to make sure you are ready."

"Ready?"

"Do you truly love Pyra?" Addam asked.

"Yes, I truly do."

"Good, that is all I need to know. Then I know she will truly love you back. Enjoy this Rex, you both deserve each other. Do you also love Nia?"

"Yes, I love them both."

"Well, make sure you spend time with both of them," Addam advised.

Rex's mind returned to Alrest. At that moment, the two girls began to proceed down the aisle. Rex's heart raced as they approached. Finally, after what seemed like eons, they were with him in the front.

Maxello led them in their exchange of vows. To Rex, this moment was also a blur. Although he sincerely and earnestly meant his vows, he still found it hard to believe it we actually happening. As the vows came to a close, Rex moved in to kiss Nia. Nia then reached out and squeezed Rex's hand. He then turned and moved in to kiss Pyra. Eyes closed, he lifted Pyra's veil for the kiss. As he opened his eyes again, he gasped quietly. He stared into the eyes of a girl with blonde hair and golden eyes. He mouthed 'Mythra,' and the girl nodded slightly.

The audience was oblivious as they couldn't see Mythra behind the veil, but Rex's friends in the front row noticed and they gasped quietly. Nia meanwhile saw it all and grinned at Rex.

Rex looked back at Mythra who waved slightly and then switched back to Pyra. Pyra then smiled back and Rex and held his hand. Azurda and Corinne nodded approvingly.


End file.
